BBC Weather Forecasts and Graphics Discussion

[Andy Bown]

I noticed that those ridiculous paper plane style wind arrows reared their ugly head today <_< , pummelling into the NW of Scotland for Wednesday on today's Countryfile forecast.

[Lord of the clouds]

I noticed that those ridiculous paper plane style wind arrows reared their ugly head today <_< , pummelling into the NW of Scotland for Wednesday on today's Countryfile forecast.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeha bring back the old style forecast PLEASE!!! :blink:

[A Gower Guy]

I noticed that those ridiculous paper plane style wind arrows reared their ugly head today <_< , pummelling into the NW of Scotland for Wednesday on today's Countryfile forecast.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, I can't get used to these, the old wind arrows were much better, maybe as the 'windy' season gets going, there will be a few complaints and in turn a few changes.

Yeha bring back the old style forecast PLEASE!!!  :blink:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That would be a step back, but a few bits from the previous style may well return.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Oh dear...as someone with the weather knowledge of a hedgehog, I'm getting to quite like them, as they seem easier to interpret the likely weather during the day than the old ones. If people are after the detailed info, there are plenty of other places for them to get that.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Well the forecast for the weekend was awful (except for London)- they said it would be dull and wet all weekend until Friday, yet most places had one of the sunniest weekends of the summer.

[shuggee]

On the BBC1 Scotland - Reporting Scotland national forecast at 18:55 (fondly known as 'Heather's Weather'), the senior forecaster, one 'Heather', last night made a telling comment.

The newscaster cut to the weather with a witty comment about addressing any complaints to her - she retorted 'I get enough letters in my postbag about our 'lovely' new graphics - thank you very much!'.

The sarcasm in her voice was spectacular.

[Veritas]

Not showing any synoptic charts will have the side-effect of reducing the general public's understanding of them- which the BBC will probably then use in a survey to show that they were "right" that people don't understand them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But if the research shows most people don't understand them even though the BBC have been showing them all these years...?

[The Enforcer]

My flatmate falls into the passing interest category when it comes to the weather. He's not interested in the mechanics of it and just wants to know what the weather is going to do. He finds the new graphics confusing describing them as "crap" and a "waste of licence money". He says they should have stuck to the old symbols, which were easy to understand.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Not showing any synoptic charts will have the side-effect of reducing the general public's understanding of them- which the BBC will probably then use in a survey to show that they were "right" that people don't understand them.

But if the research shows most people don't understand them even though the BBC have been showing them all these years...?

One question that was frequently asked in earlier discussions was: was the research representative? Sometimes people carry out research in order to find out what people really think, but at other times they have a pre-concieved belief and fiddle their research accordingly to back it up.

There are also different degrees of understanding a pressure chart- many people don't understand what isobars do, but could understand "This area of low pressure will bring rain and strong northerly winds to the country" quite easily. Hence how would understanding charts be defined in that context, I wonder.

Plus, even if most people didn't understand them at all, that wouldn't be a conclusive argument for axing them, for the people who didn't understand them could just ignore them.

[J10]

An excellent forecast tonight with synoptic charts showing the current situation. It definitely seems that the usage of synoptic and pressure charts is increasing in the runup to the autumnal period.

[Somerset Squall]

An excellent forecast tonight with synoptic charts showing the current situation. It definitely seems that the usage of synoptic and pressure charts is increasing in the runup to the autumnal period.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's because it was Helen Willets. She is the one who uses synoptic charts the most in my opinion. Another excellent forecast by her again tonight.

[carinthian]

That's because it was Helen Willets. She is the one who uses synoptic charts the most in my opinion. Another excellent forecast by her again tonight.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Did anyone else see this mornings brillant weather presentation by Jo Farrow at 08.20am. I think she will be a rising star. Lousie and Carol could learn a lot from watching her ?

[The Enforcer]

My flatmate falls into the passing interest category when it comes to the weather. He's not interested in the mechanics of it and just wants to know what the weather is going to do. He finds the new graphics confusing describing them as "crap" and a "waste of licence money". He says they should have stuck to the old symbols, which were easy to understand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

More words of wisdom from my flatmate:

He doesn't like the roving map. It means he has to concentrate all the way through whereas before he could just glance up and get the basics. This gives him the impression that the forecast is much longer, whereas I'm sure it isn't. Also he thinks the presenters are becoming more intrusive. Lots of excessive pointing (often to the wrong part of the map). Says Fish had it down to an art. Doesn't like the paper dart wind arrows either.

[shuggee]

He'd like the Scottish TV (ITV) weather then, good 3D land graphics but simple 3D sun/cloud/rain symbols as per the old BBC forecast (but in 3D). If that makes sense!! You have to see it to believe it! Any fellow Scots back me up on this!! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Aye you're right CMD. The STV forecast with the fly-through across from Fort William/Ben Nevis down to Ayr and back up through Glasgow across teh Lowlands to Lothian/Fife is, and always has been superb. The detail of the land is similar to Google Earth.

However, the accuracy of this forecast after 48hrs has a poor track record.

[Somerset Squall]

Did anyone see the thundersrike graphics on the BBC News 24 forecast on tuesday? I think it was mid-afternoon. Sorry if this has already been posted

[A Gower Guy]

Saw Philip Avery on News 24 this morning for the first time in ages, more use of the colour contour temperature chart and the fly over he used was better, not the normal around the edges stuff.

[shuggee]

So it's taken them 6 months to pop a lightning symbol onto the graphics.

But then another problem, where is the symbol/graphic for mist and fog? Such an important feature in terms of travelling by road and air - with safety very much a consideration. But what do we get from the BBC new graphics package? Nothing. Appalling.

How hard can it be to come up with a grey/white fuzziness that moves around the map? Perhaps like lightning they'll have it sorted in 6 months time...

Edited September 6, 2005 by shuggee

[Bilz]

So it's taken them 6 months to pop a lightning symbol onto the graphics.

But then another problem, where is the symbol/graphic for mist and fog?  Such an important feature in terms of travelling by road and air - with safety very much a consideration.  But what do we get from the BBC new graphics package?  Nothing.  Appalling.

How hard can it be to come up with a grey/white fuzziness that moves around the map?  Perhaps like lightning they'll have it sorted in 6 months time...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's pathetic how stubborn they're being about the smallest adjustments. I mean what I nonsense trying to show us fog on a weather map without any symbols. I think they're worried that too much tweeking will lead them back where they started -with the old graphics. Why can't they admit they've wasted millions of pounds again?

Edited September 6, 2005 by Bilz

[Kent Snow]

Indeed I've noticed the lack of a Fog graphic. A few weeks back I experienced extremely dense fog for a week on the drive to work. Not that it was shown on the forecast the previous evening. Very dangerous for early morning travellers and especially withus now in Autumn.

[shuggee]

I suppose it's just a matter of time until the first front hitting cold air - or like last year, cold air digging in behind a rain band, reveals how the package is going to illustrate sleet and snow.

I think we'll need a new thread then for everyone's complaints - because on the BBC Weather Centre's current track record it's going to be at best dissapointing and more likely very very poor if not non-existent.

[J10]

The acid test will be the snow graphic, what I seen of it so far (over Norway etc) it seems quite good, but at least now there is a significant increase in the level of synoptic charts.

[Andy Bown]

Did anyone else see that fog was shown as white on the background on the 18.30 forecast? Fine for now, but what happens come winter as snow will be white .

[shuggee]

Missed (no pun intended - honest) that Andy. have they got their act together?

Another recent issue is the discrepency of forecasters using the package. Some choose to use certain features - others don't. Surely a corporate BBC Weather presentation would use a set routine set within certain parameters - for instance the severe thunderstorms on News24 only yesterday weren't showing the flashing symbol - whilst on the BBC1 forecast the presenter did use them over the same puddles of blue and green...

[kold weather]

Hi Andy,they had it on a seperate screen I believe,seperate from the rest of the weather graphics,its a good feature by the looks of things,I also really like the lightning feature.I think that is still in the expierment phase as when the wind arrows came on they are on every forecast now and again,expect it to be a more common feature.

what will be intresting is how they will deal with marginal snow events,the type that has snow in one area as the precip is hard enough for good Ec to occur but just a few miles away rain.

[J10]

Another recent issue is the discrepency of forecasters using the package.  Some choose to use certain features - others don't.  Surely a corporate BBC Weather presentation would use a set routine set within certain parameters - for instance the severe thunderstorms on News24 only yesterday weren't showing the flashing symbol - whilst on the BBC1 forecast the presenter did use them over the same puddles of blue and green...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree with you there, Forecasts by certain people are much better than forecasts by other people. even though the new graphics were launched in May I still think, they have not been been shown to their full potential.

Kold - I agree, it seems they are still experimenting with the new software. The colour on the map on the 1827 forecast, seemed brighter than before.