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Posted
  • Location: Horsham, West sussex, 52m asl
  • Location: Horsham, West sussex, 52m asl

I think you're alone in that idea Bobby. Most on here regard BBC forecasts as dumbed-down versions of their former selves and any programme fronted by Carol, a sports presenter and a comedian can't have been expected to be at a level guaranteed to appear to the knowledgeable (They're doing the same for arts coverage).

my point exactly! the presenters were a pre-warning to the 'knowledgable' as to the expected content of the programme. anyone who expected more from a programme aimed at an audience who would usually be watching eastenders or coronation street at this time of the evening, are sadly, less 'knowledgable' than they think!!

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

I've just watched the clip about air masses and fronts.

Not bad, could have been a lot worse; most on here have some understanding of the weather so we have to accept that we are very much in a minority.

The attempt to explain the main air masses and that where they meet we get weather fronts was a reasonable attempt for, as someone has suggested, viewers who might normally be watching East enders or similar. No disrespect to them intended. As a professional meteorologist who spent nearly 6 years teaching meteorology to aircrew of of varying degrees of academic ability believe me trying to get the right level is incredibly difficult. Giving talks to local folk again with varying academic abilities is also very challenging. Trying to get the balance right without talking down to anyone or seeming to treat others as not having any sense is something some of you knocking it might attempt! Believe me its far from easy.The attempt to illustrate it with rugby players being different air masses and another one being the jet stream was not quite on the ball, no pun intended, but I suspect some people MAY have had a penny drop moment who previously had no understanding of the weather!

No not what most on here might have hoped for but then as I suggested in the first sentence folk with the level of knowledge about the weather that many have on here are very much in the minority in the British population.

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Posted
  • Location: Milton Keynes MK
  • Weather Preferences: anything extreme or intense !
  • Location: Milton Keynes MK

Never mind Tomaz Shafferknacker..the best bit was Michael Fish, especially the story of him doing his piece to camera with a mouse in his pocket (I'm sure it lived a long and happy life in the Blue Peter garden after that).

http://www.nmmshop.c...ge-magnets.html

....isn't it amazing what you can buy on the internet !!

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Posted
  • Location: Horsham, West sussex, 52m asl
  • Location: Horsham, West sussex, 52m asl

I've just watched the clip about air masses and fronts.

Not bad, could have been a lot worse; most on here have some understanding of the weather so we have to accept that we are very much in a minority.

The attempt to explain the main air masses and that where they meet we get weather fronts was a reasonable attempt for, as someone has suggested, viewers who might normally be watching East enders or similar. No disrespect to them intended. As a professional meteorologist who spent nearly 6 years teaching meteorology to aircrew of of varying degrees of academic ability believe me trying to get the right level is incredibly difficult. Giving talks to local folk again with varying academic abilities is also very challenging. Trying to get the balance right without talking down to anyone or seeming to treat others as not having any sense is something some of you knocking it might attempt! Believe me its far from easy.The attempt to illustrate it with rugby players being different air masses and another one being the jet stream was not quite on the ball, no pun intended, but I suspect some people MAY have had a penny drop moment who previously had no understanding of the weather!

No not what most on here might have hoped for but then as I suggested in the first sentence folk with the level of knowledge about the weather that many have on here are very much in the minority in the British population.

ahhh! thankyou john, i thought i was alone but your voice of reason has calmed me.....

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

I assue you that Dr. Staggs account is far more relavant than that.

As I've posted elsewhere Coast did a whole thread for the whole period of the BoB and some of the Met stuff was put in there. I will try and dig out the Met O publication about Stagg and the D-D landings.

And the connection between the BoB and the D-D landings John?. And if if I may add little Met Info anyway.

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Posted
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire

I was actually looking forward to this but found myself turning it off after 15 minutes. I expected it to be dumbed down but the presenting made me cringe.

All a bit of a shame really.

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Posted
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
  • Location: Newton Aycliffe, County Durham

I got an e-mail a few weeks ago about this, that I had to contact them urgently about some programme or other, probably this one.

Anyway, I didn't fancy it, because I know sod all about the weather.

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Posted
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Let's face it, given the channel and the time slot it was always going to be layman's stuff - the weather-orientated equivalent of the One Show. That said, did they really have to go round the audience asking folks to recite banal weather phrases? I also thought putting just-taken weather photos on the map of Britain was a bit lame.

I was impressed by the features on D-Day and Boscastle. I even thought Tomasz Schafernaker came up trumps on his "red sky" segment. I'll watch it again next week if I can be bothered.

Edited by AderynCoch
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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

I didn't realise just how shapely Carol Kirkwood is....

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I was actually looking forward to this but found myself turning it off after 15 minutes. I expected it to be dumbed down but the presenting made me cringe.

All a bit of a shame really.

I didn't think much of it either, more like an idiots guide to the british weather, good to see people in the background enjoying the lovely warm summer like weather though that some on here think hasnt arrived yet. :D

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Posted
  • Location: Epping by day/Bexley by night
  • Location: Epping by day/Bexley by night

What an atrocious programme, definitely deleting that from the Sky Planner!

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

I assue you that Dr. Staggs account is far more relavant than that.

And the connection between the BoB and the D-D landings John?. And if if I may add little Met Info anyway.

I'll try and find references to the D Day stuff, I have a hand out I was given at one of the Colloquia I attended when an SSO.

the BoB is in the link Paul gave, lots and lots of data from Coast so its a long search bu well worth it- a fascinating thread which Coast ran.

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

I'll try and find references to the D Day stuff, I have a hand out I was given at one of the Colloquia I attended when an SSO.

There is also an historical analysis of the weather for D-Day done by the ECMWF here:

http://www.ecmwf.int/research/era/dday/

With a full range of charts here:

http://www.ecmwf.int/research/demeter/d/inspect/catalog/research/era/dday/

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

There is a book "Meteorology and World War !!" edited by Brian D. Giles. It was produced by the Royal Met Soc, Department of Geography, Uninversity of Birmingham in 1987.

It is a transcript of papers given at a conference organised by the History of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography (Specialist Group of the Royal Meteorological Society) and held in the Department of Geography, University of of Birmingham, on the 25 October 1986.

Some of names are legendary in Met. circles. P.G. Rackcliff, G.A. Gowling, Professor H. Charnock, P.J. Meade, R.A.S. Ratcliffe, R.J. Ogden, Sir Arthur Davies.

I can't remember how I got hold of a copy but it's certainly worth a read. Unfortunately there are © restrictions but the METO library might oblige.

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Posted
  • Location: Caterham-on-the-hill, Surrey, 190m asl (home), Heathrow (work)
  • Location: Caterham-on-the-hill, Surrey, 190m asl (home), Heathrow (work)

I think the UK should have its own Weather Channel with similar topical wather related news, like they do in the USA. Though I suppose it would have to cover European weather aswell to give it sufficient content. Carol could be one of the presenters along with Michael Fish.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

There is a book "Meteorology and World War !!" edited by Brian D. Giles. It was produced by the Royal Met Soc, Department of Geography, Uninversity of Birmingham in 1987.

It is a transcript of papers given at a conference organised by the History of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography (Specialist Group of the Royal Meteorological Society) and held in the Department of Geography, University of of Birmingham, on the 25 October 1986.

Some of names are legendary in Met. circles. P.G. Rackcliff, G.A. Gowling, Professor H. Charnock, P.J. Meade, R.A.S. Ratcliffe, R.J. Ogden, Sir Arthur Davies.

I can't remember how I got hold of a copy but it's certainly worth a read. Unfortunately there are © restrictions but the METO library might oblige.

here with some links, charts of the time and articles by leading British meteorologists.

For anyone interested in D-D landings and the weather some great links

- enjoy

D-D landings and the weather

Weather played a very important part in when these could take place. Once the decision to land in a certain tide and moon period had been made the days available were pretty limited.

Below are some links to give an idea of what happened, how and why.

The first is a link to ECMWF with a whole host of charts and links to others, along with current re assessments of the data available and the forecasts given.

http://www.ecmwf.int/research/era/dday/

Some alleged comments made during the run up and after the landings.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_weather_like_during_D-Day

This is perhaps one of the better weather summaries by Stan Cornford who if my memory serves me correctly was head of the Met O College when I attended my first forecast course?

Well worth a read

http://www.wrma.org/2009_euro_pres/MeteorologyandD-Day6June1944.pdf

Another excellent link, this time by Dick Ogden, another well know British meteorologist

http://www.rmets.org/pdf/hist03.pdf

I can’t find the book written By Dr Stagg but I’m sure if you are interested enough you will find it in Amazon or another site.

John Holmes

I think the UK should have its own Weather Channel with similar topical wather related news, like they do in the USA. Though I suppose it would have to cover European weather aswell to give it sufficient content. Carol could be one of the presenters along with Michael Fish.

It was trawled by the then head of Public Services over 25 years ago but no one would pay for it Nick. I suspect its still the same.

There is also an historical analysis of the weather for D-Day done by the ECMWF here:

http://www.ecmwf.int...earch/era/dday/

With a full range of charts here:

http://www.ecmwf.int...earch/era/dday/

thanks C, I should have guessed you would come up with the necessary data-beat me to it-thanks

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Posted
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)
  • Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex (work in Mid Sussex)

and the Met Office concise overview of D-Day in .pdf download:

DDayWeather.pdf

518 squadron report on the weather that day here:

http://www.oldnautibits.com/features/aerofeature5.shtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dysh7oDJEQE

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

Going back to the programme and the next 3 in the series, I do find it sad that almost everyone ( I have not seen it) are judging it from your standpoint as folk with a reasonable knowledge of meteorology. It was NEVER intended for that from my chats with people responsible for setting it up. Like my post last evening trying to explain the difficulties of getting information across about a hugely complex subject to people with little or possibly no understanding it is a very difficult task. Just think about trying to explain your job in simple terms to those of us with no idea about it?

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

Finally found the Met O booklet which describes the set up and how the team went about doing the all important forecasts

http://london.iwm.or...DDayWeather.pdf

Edited by johnholmes
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Posted
  • Location: Rochester, Kent
  • Location: Rochester, Kent

Mostly disappointed. I guess my problem is expecting a much higher level of content, but has JH quite rightly explained, NetW is not the only audience for the programme. Bugger. I like NickF's suggestion of a Europe wide weather channel ...

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

Mostly disappointed. I guess my problem is expecting a much higher level of content, but has JH quite rightly explained, NetW is not the only audience for the programme. Bugger. I like NickF's suggestion of a Europe wide weather channel ...

It was trawled by the then head of Public Services over 25 years ago but no one would pay for it Nick. I suspect its still the same.

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Posted
  • Location: Camborne
  • Location: Camborne

Going back to the programme and the next 3 in the series, I do find it sad that almost everyone ( I have not seen it) are judging it from your standpoint as folk with a reasonable knowledge of meteorology. It was NEVER intended for that from my chats with people responsible for setting it up. Like my post last evening trying to explain the difficulties of getting information across about a hugely complex subject to people with little or possibly no understanding it is a very difficult task. Just think about trying to explain your job in simple terms to those of us with no idea about it?

Quite agree John. I think they actually covered the very complicated Boscastle event very well.

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Posted
  • Weather Preferences: Cold and Snowy, Hot and Dry, Blizzard Conditions
  • Weather Preferences: Cold and Snowy, Hot and Dry, Blizzard Conditions

Hi CR,

What actually shocks me :shok: is that people with the knowledge, such as us internet forum users etc, will still watch these forecasts. :whistling:

Ok, I admit, the only time I may watch one is if I happen to be passing the TV and the forecast is on BBC N24 for example or maybe even in other situations? alas pretty rarely.

For more detailed knowledge and a steep learning curve about the SCIENTIFIC side of things, this place and my books tell me ALL I NEED TO KNOW. :drinks:

Kind Regards

PS! I would like to congratulate snowmadsam once again for starting the thread and also I like the other debates the programme has begun. :clap:

gottolovethisweather

Thank you very much, gottalovethisweather, hopefully we will get a big debate like this next week as well :)

Edited by Sunmadsam
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