Did your cup of tea taste different this morning? Blame Storm Amy! Scientist reveals the surprising impact bad weather has on our cuppas

As Storm Amy thrashes the country, many Brits will reach for the kettle to make a nice calming cuppa. 

But your favourite brew might taste slightly different, according to scientists – with the bad weather to blame.  

Dr Simon Lee, an atmospheric researcher at the University of St Andrews, says Storm Amy will reduce the boiling point of our kettles. 

As any tea enthusiast will know, water usually boils at 100°C (212°F). 

But as Storm Amy hits on Friday evening and into Saturday, this threshold could fall to 'below 98°C' (208°F). 

Such a temperature does not extract the full flavour from tea leaves, so tea may taste a bit weak – no matter how long the teabag is left in for. 

'Temperature does affect brewing of both tea and coffee,' Dr Lee told the Daily Mail. 

'Brewing temperatures for black tea are normally recommended to be around 98 to 100°C, or "straight off the boil".'

Storm Amy, due to hit today, is described as a deep area of low pressure currently developing in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Scientists have already warned that Storm Amy could be a 'weather bomb', a phenomenon also known as 'explosive cyclogenesis'. 

A weather bomb is a rapid drop in pressure at the storm's centre, causing it to intensify suddenly and rapidly – with especially violent winds, heavy rain and flooding.

According to Dr Lee, the pressure around the north west of Scotland especially will likely be a record low for the time of year. 

Unfortunately for tea lovers, the lower the pressure of the surrounding air, the lower the boiling point of water. 

Essentially, the boiling point of a liquid is reached when the vapour pressure of the liquid matches the surrounding air pressure.

So when air pressure is lower (as it is expected to be this weekend) kettles will boil faster but at a lower temperature – 98°C or perhaps even lower. 

Tea experts believe that water reaching 100°C is essential for a decent cuppa, as water below this range is not thought to extract the full flavour from tea leaves. 

Giles Harrison, professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Reading, explained that 'weather can have subtle effects'. Along with colleagues, he wrote about the effect in a paper following Storm Ciarán two years ago.

'Like many Britons, I need my morning cup of tea. Although I know that the boiling point of water varies with atmospheric pressure, I wasn’t expecting a storm to take the boiling water temperature outside the recommended range for brewing decent tea,' Professor Harrison said at the time.

The reverse effect – extremely high pressure raising the boiling point of kettles – was reported in 2020. 

Dr Lee called the phenomenon 'just standard physics', although the difference in tea quality may be too subtle for some people to notice. 

'I don’t think the effect is necessarily significant enough for anyone to really notice unless they are truly methodical with their brewing every time,' he told the Daily Mail. 

Dr Lee describes Storm Amy as 'a bit on the strong side' for the sort of storm we would typically see in early October. 

'We expect the storm to intensify to a rate which is almost twice the threshold needed to be called an explosive cyclogenesis,' he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. 

Although there is still uncertainty about Storm Amy's exact track and strength, it is expected to arrive on Friday and batter western and northern parts of the UK throughout Saturday. 

The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning for Storm Amy over parts of northern and western Scotland.

It means possible travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and even the potential risk to life and property. 

Meanwhile, a yellow warning for 70mph winds has been issued for all of Scotland, and large parts of north and west England and Wales, from 3pm Friday to late night Saturday.