Shropshire weatherman heads to the Baltic

For instead of looking out for showers over Shropshire and warm fronts coming off the Atlantic in time for the summer holidays, Flight Lieutenant Steve Crampton is on the lookout for thunder and lightning storms and any other weather activity which could pose a threat to military aircraft in the skies.

His job is to predict when storms will develop and make sure fighter planes in the area are not put at risk.

He was one of the first to arrive this week at Siauliai Airbase in Lithuania, where four of the RAF's multi-role fighters are now based to police the airspace in the region.

The 42-year-old is one of 70 members of the Mobile Met Unit employed by the Meteorological Office who step into uniform to deploy on military operations.

"We all volunteer to go away with the RAF and leave our day jobs to serve on operations," he said. "My role here is to provide the Typhoon Detachment with weather and environmental information and advice."

Mr Crampton, a former pupil at Oldbury Wells School in Bridgnorth who lives in Alveley, uses equipment such as a lightning detector - which can pinpoint thunderstorms within a radius of 100km - to provide information for top brass.

His deployment is expected to last four months, but could be extended depending on circumstances.

Mr Crampton said: "As a meteorologist everyone asks you about the weather and they expect me to know exactly when it's going to rain, sleet or snow.

"A thunderstorm represents a direct flight safety hazard, it's dangerous to fly, take-off or land in one due to turbulence, icing and other conditions and so they are best avoided. Lightning also presents a threat, for example to the refuelling of aircraft on the ground and so early prediction of thunderstorms is important.

"The weather here is a little more extreme than the UK with higher summer temperatures and lower winter temperatures. Looking at the statistics it's not as wet but we expect to get some severe thunderstorms in the summer months."

Over the past 10 years the Baltic Air Policing mission has seen NATO allies deploy air defender fighter aircraft to secure NATO's airspace over the Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

The Baltic States do not have their own air defence fighters and the deployment of fighter jets, typically for four month periods, provides strong reassurance to our allies in the region.

The RAF last fulfilled the role between September 2004 and January 2005 with four Tornado F3 aircraft.

The deployment of the Typhoons is in response to the 2014 North Atlantic Council's approval of an increase in NATO air policing activities.

The RAF aircraft operate under NATO command and control and under NATO Rules of Engagement.