Richard Dixon
@catinsight.bsky.social
Catastrophe / climate risk / data viz at OAK Global (reinsurer)
Visiting Research Fellow & PhD @ University of Reading
Associate Editor RMetS Weather. FRMetS.
Otherwise eating noodle soup or watching cricket
Do we still have to put "own opinions" etc. ?
Visiting Research Fellow & PhD @ University of Reading
Associate Editor RMetS Weather. FRMetS.
Otherwise eating noodle soup or watching cricket
Do we still have to put "own opinions" etc. ?
Pinned
Richard Dixon
@catinsight.bsky.social
· Nov 13
I think I was supposed to introduce myself on Bluesky ages ago. So here's an introduction. Hello!
Reposted by Richard Dixon
What just happened ...
Comedy: Jamie Kaler
Comedy: Jamie Kaler
January 4, 2026 at 8:33 AM
What just happened ...
Comedy: Jamie Kaler
Comedy: Jamie Kaler
Just as a corollary to the below - the winter proportion of 850mb temperatures in SE England by year. One thing strikes me (I could be wrong) is how the extreme cold becoming less frequent but extreme warmth doesn't seem to be changing that much.
December 30, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Just as a corollary to the below - the winter proportion of 850mb temperatures in SE England by year. One thing strikes me (I could be wrong) is how the extreme cold becoming less frequent but extreme warmth doesn't seem to be changing that much.
The -10c 850mb line coming close to UK in next few days made me dig out its frequency in SE England. Last daily instance in the box shown (based on daily average data) is 12 Feb 2021, ~1800 days ago and just about the 2nd longest >-10c spell since 1950 (longest is 6 years from 2 Jan 97 to 7 Jan 03).
December 30, 2025 at 8:38 PM
The -10c 850mb line coming close to UK in next few days made me dig out its frequency in SE England. Last daily instance in the box shown (based on daily average data) is 12 Feb 2021, ~1800 days ago and just about the 2nd longest >-10c spell since 1950 (longest is 6 years from 2 Jan 97 to 7 Jan 03).
Genuinely lost count of the times this winter where East Kent has been sopping wet... would love to see some radar-derived monthly/quarterly accumulations if such exist anywhere?
December 30, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Genuinely lost count of the times this winter where East Kent has been sopping wet... would love to see some radar-derived monthly/quarterly accumulations if such exist anywhere?
Great to see two names from my time as a student at Reading - Stephen Belcher and Piers Forster - in the honours list for their work on climate science.
December 29, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Great to see two names from my time as a student at Reading - Stephen Belcher and Piers Forster - in the honours list for their work on climate science.
I wish people would stop posting the T+300h model output just like I am here.
December 29, 2025 at 10:57 AM
I wish people would stop posting the T+300h model output just like I am here.
"Step away from the T+ >240H, I repeat, step away from the T+ >240H".
December 28, 2025 at 10:30 AM
"Step away from the T+ >240H, I repeat, step away from the T+ >240H".
Imagine if the Daily Express discovered the ensemble maximum snow depth output?
December 27, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Imagine if the Daily Express discovered the ensemble maximum snow depth output?
Two great post-doctoral topics: almost tempted to apply myself...!
Looking for postdoc positions in the UK studying weather extremes?
Two jobs with deadline 4th Jan:
Historical windstorms, working with two insurance companies: jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Storylines of extreme events, as part of a European collaboration: jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Two jobs with deadline 4th Jan:
Historical windstorms, working with two insurance companies: jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Storylines of extreme events, as part of a European collaboration: jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Research Scientist in Historical Windstorms:Whiteknights Reading UK
Full time, fixed term contract (up to 36 months)
jobs.reading.ac.uk
December 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Two great post-doctoral topics: almost tempted to apply myself...!
Thought it was a Christmas miracle; ended up being ground clutter #radarpranks
December 25, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Thought it was a Christmas miracle; ended up being ground clutter #radarpranks
Happy Christmas, especially to those who struggle at this time of year. Chilly but probably no snow for most in the UK and for my Christmas Message this year (!), here's the % change in winter snowfall for the last 21 years vs the previous 21 years in the eyes of ECMWF C3S seasonal forecasts
December 24, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Happy Christmas, especially to those who struggle at this time of year. Chilly but probably no snow for most in the UK and for my Christmas Message this year (!), here's the % change in winter snowfall for the last 21 years vs the previous 21 years in the eyes of ECMWF C3S seasonal forecasts
I've finally given up on a wriggle developing in the flow tomorrow leading to surprise wintry weather in the SE. At Least It Will Be Sunny and all that.
December 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
I've finally given up on a wriggle developing in the flow tomorrow leading to surprise wintry weather in the SE. At Least It Will Be Sunny and all that.
Suitable weather whilst feeling under the weather on the shortest day of the year. 10c and murk. Can we have the yellow circle on top the blue background back, please?
December 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Suitable weather whilst feeling under the weather on the shortest day of the year. 10c and murk. Can we have the yellow circle on top the blue background back, please?
"...analysts have warned that risk-adjusted pricing is set to deteriorate further, with a benign hurricane season potentially triggering 10–15% declines..."
Losses should not dictate whether a hurricane season is "benign". A fairly obvious hill that I'll die on.
Losses should not dictate whether a hurricane season is "benign". A fairly obvious hill that I'll die on.
December 17, 2025 at 11:28 AM
"...analysts have warned that risk-adjusted pricing is set to deteriorate further, with a benign hurricane season potentially triggering 10–15% declines..."
Losses should not dictate whether a hurricane season is "benign". A fairly obvious hill that I'll die on.
Losses should not dictate whether a hurricane season is "benign". A fairly obvious hill that I'll die on.
Chart Shows The Exact Minute 492.348-Mile Snow-Mega- Blizzard-Bomb-Beast-From-The-East Cakes Most Of SE England On Christmas Day Remember You Heard It Here First Not From The Daily Express Or That Regional Newspaper Website Chain With "Live" In The Title Follow Me For More Snow Clickbaitcasting
December 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Chart Shows The Exact Minute 492.348-Mile Snow-Mega- Blizzard-Bomb-Beast-From-The-East Cakes Most Of SE England On Christmas Day Remember You Heard It Here First Not From The Daily Express Or That Regional Newspaper Website Chain With "Live" In The Title Follow Me For More Snow Clickbaitcasting
For the seasonal affective disorder sufferers like me, today is the first light at the end of the winter tunnel: all sunsets start to get later from today until June...
December 12, 2025 at 9:58 PM
For the seasonal affective disorder sufferers like me, today is the first light at the end of the winter tunnel: all sunsets start to get later from today until June...
In all seriousness, I don't think I've seen such a long run of uniform south-westerlies in the UK. All the way out to mid-to-late Jan.
December 9, 2025 at 10:07 PM
In all seriousness, I don't think I've seen such a long run of uniform south-westerlies in the UK. All the way out to mid-to-late Jan.
Anyone fancy some westerlies? Be my guest.
December 9, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Anyone fancy some westerlies? Be my guest.
The last 8 runs of the ECMWF longer-range 46-day forecast, verifying on Xmas Day for the UK. Almost as if the model tends towards a winter mobility basic state! NW/SE pressure gradient, but pressure slowly increasing towards the SE broadly across the runs... #atleastitwillbemild
December 7, 2025 at 1:39 PM
The last 8 runs of the ECMWF longer-range 46-day forecast, verifying on Xmas Day for the UK. Almost as if the model tends towards a winter mobility basic state! NW/SE pressure gradient, but pressure slowly increasing towards the SE broadly across the runs... #atleastitwillbemild
And, well, if that doesn't get at least a bit of discussion going on in here then it's time I threw in the towel. Would love to hear what people think.
December 4, 2025 at 9:12 PM
And, well, if that doesn't get at least a bit of discussion going on in here then it's time I threw in the towel. Would love to hear what people think.
Here's 10 different views on the 2025 hurricane season from a report we did at Oak Global.
1) ACE was pretty much bang-on average, but the number of hours of Cat 4s was almost double the usual: these contributed nearly all the ACE as we had so few weak Cat 1-2s this year.
1) ACE was pretty much bang-on average, but the number of hours of Cat 4s was almost double the usual: these contributed nearly all the ACE as we had so few weak Cat 1-2s this year.
December 4, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Here's 10 different views on the 2025 hurricane season from a report we did at Oak Global.
1) ACE was pretty much bang-on average, but the number of hours of Cat 4s was almost double the usual: these contributed nearly all the ACE as we had so few weak Cat 1-2s this year.
1) ACE was pretty much bang-on average, but the number of hours of Cat 4s was almost double the usual: these contributed nearly all the ACE as we had so few weak Cat 1-2s this year.
My colleague Hannah Croad and I have written a 10-15 minute read on the hurricane season & put some thought around why we didn't end up with US insurance losses, but why this season's activity should still concern us from a risk perspective. More here:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
December 4, 2025 at 10:36 AM
My colleague Hannah Croad and I have written a 10-15 minute read on the hurricane season & put some thought around why we didn't end up with US insurance losses, but why this season's activity should still concern us from a risk perspective. More here:
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Explaining a potentially difficult concept to an audience is quite an art and @aidanmcgivern.bsky.social is very good at it. Some of the @metoffice.gov.uk content on slightly more deep dive topics is really top notch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KweN...
21/11/2025 – Implications for the UK? – Met Office weather forecast UK
YouTube video by Met Office - UK Weather
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Explaining a potentially difficult concept to an audience is quite an art and @aidanmcgivern.bsky.social is very good at it. Some of the @metoffice.gov.uk content on slightly more deep dive topics is really top notch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KweN...
Probably for the 2nd time this winter already I've thought "an extra 2-3 degrees lower and this would have been fun"... sod's law it'll be roaring westerlies by January.
November 21, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Probably for the 2nd time this winter already I've thought "an extra 2-3 degrees lower and this would have been fun"... sod's law it'll be roaring westerlies by January.