BBC Weather
BBC Weather is the BBC's department in charge of preparing and broadcasting weather forecasts as part of News bulletins.
History
Early History
The first BBC weather forecast was a shipping forecast broadcast on the radio on behalf of the Met Office on November 14, 1922, and the first daily weather forecast was broadcast March 26, 1923.
In 1936, the BBC experimented with the worlds first televised weather maps, which was brought into practice in 1949 after World War II. The map filled the entire screen, with an off-screen narrator commenting on the next day's weather.
Advancement of Technology
On January 11, 1954, the first in-vision weather forecast was broadcast, presented by George Cowling. In an in-vision where the narrator stood in front of the map. At that point, the maps were drawn by hand in the London Weather Centre, before being couriered across London. The forecasts were presented by the same person who had composed them, and had relatively low accuracy.
The installation of a fax machine in 1962 and an electronic computer in 1962 in the Met Office led to more accurate and quicker forecasting.
Satellite photography was available from 1964, but was of a poor quality and was given on paper, with the coastline etched in felt-tip pen, which was not fixed until 1973 with the installation of a new computer, increasing processing power of the Weather Centre greatly, leading to forecasts twice as accurate as earlier ones.
Graphical Technology
As computational improved, so did graphical capabilities. Early hand-drawn maps gave way to magnetic symbols, which in turn gave way to blue screen computer-generated imagery technology, each of which allowed the presenter greater control over the information displayed.
Early magnetic symbols tended to adhere poorly to the maps, and occasional spelling errors (such as the presenter writing 'GOF' instead of 'FOG') marred some broadcasts, but allowed the presenter to show how weather would change over time. The symbols were designed to be 'self-explicit', allowing the viewer to understand the map without a key or legend.
These were phased out in 1984, for computer graphics, although the basic design of symbols was kept the same. These forecasts were widely aclaimed for their simplicity, winning an award from the Royal Television Society.
In the 1990s, weather forecasters were phased out for weather presenters, who played no part in predicting the weather, a move that was criticised by many because the new presenters tended to be young and glamourous, and the move was seen to be a way of introducing younger, more attractive, presenters.
Great Storm of 1987
Possibly the most famous of the presenters is the recently retired Michael Fish. Famous for his informal manner and eccentric dress sense (he once wore a blue and green blazer emblazoned with all the weather symbols), he was a viewer favourite despite an unfortunate comment before The Great Storm of 1987.
During the weather forecast before the storm, Michael Fish ended his forecast with the now infamous line "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't". Although he was actually referring to a Florida hurricane, the statement has gone down in popular culture as one of the worst mistakes made so publically.
Today
In 2005, the format of the forecast underwent another redesign, with the flat map replaced by a 3D globe, and weather conditions shown by coloured areas. Cloud cover is indicated by the brightness of the map, while rain and snow are indicated by animated blue and white areas respectively.
The move polarised opinion; some saw it as more accurate and modern, while others disliked the brown colour chosen for the landmass and presumed high cost of the graphics. Poor angling of the map, in order to show the curvature of the Earth, led to Scotland appearing little larger than Devon, and the Shetlands being almost invisible while exaggerating London and the South East led to many Scottish commentators claiming the BBC was guilty of a London bias. As a result, the map was realigned, and the moving tour of the country was lengthened.
Online Forecasts
The BBC Weather website provides outlook weather forecasts for UK and international locations using animated symbols and a format similar in design to that used for the televised broadcasts.
The website also runs frequent special features about seasonal sports, white Christmas, nature and meteorological science.