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Rate Your Regional BBC Forecasts


damianslaw

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

I've been very critical of the BBC national forecasts in recent years but it seems that those of us in the North East and Cumbria have got pretty lucky with the regional ones recently!

Here's the BBC's list of regionalweather presenters- the relatively high level of meteorological qualification and enthusiasm of the NE/Cumbria presenters relative to most of the other regions does stick out quite nicely. There are a few other prominent meteorologists in other regions, e.g. Ian Ferguson, David Braine, Paul Hudson, but also quite a number of presenters who seem to have more of a presenting background than a meteorological one:

http://news.bbc.co.u...000/8480772.stm

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

I receive the BBC East Midlands forecast and the weather is delivered entirely by 'presenters' rather than forecasters or people with a meteorological background.

The regular three female presenters are briefed by the Met' Office and stick religiously to the script regardless of how dynamic the situation might be. The result of this is that we are often told about rain/heavy showers etc etc affecting the area when it's already been and gone or we're informed of weather warnings which apply only to Lincolnshire but talked of as though they apply to the whole area.

There are endless warnings about wrapping up warm, scraping car windscreens, being bitterly cold when it isn't, being very, very windy with gusts up to 35 mph.

There is constant confusion between continuous rain and showers, air frost and ground frost, frontal and convective precipitation and an enduring failure to recognise the magnitude of difference between the climate/weather in the Peak District and the low ground of South Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

Years ago we had John Kettley; he is sadly missed.

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Posted
  • Location: NE of Kendal 215m asl
  • Location: NE of Kendal 215m asl

I don't own a T.V. so I don't have to suffer the inaccurate, poorly presented forecasts on the idiot box. I do have to agree with fellow North Westerners about the awful presenting form that Eno woman. I come on here for my forecasts plus the excellent mountain forecasts from mwis.org.uk.

One thing that really winds me up about weather presenters, as well as the cold = bad, mild = good, is the stupid descriptive words they use, especially Daniel Corbett, 'it's like I've coloured in with blue crayon', when describing rainfall on the map, wtf! Also when they advise you to take an umbrella in the morning, just tell me what the weather is doing mate and I'll decide if I need a brolly.

Weather should be presented like the news, in an unbiased way.

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Posted
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Anything but mild south-westeries in winter
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl

He got it wrong last night! That front did not change direction and hit the Yorkshire region as he said. Our NW regional forecast suggested no such thing, so he comes across as a bit of a cold ramper to be honest.

Our regional forecasters are not brilliant and I rarely watch them.

He does!? I always thought he was the total opposite and he seems very reluctant to big up any snow potential. East Yorkshire got a good snowfall last night however.

Besides, it was a difficult thing to forecast, the Met got it spectacularly wrong but I don't blame them.

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

I don't own a T.V. so I don't have to suffer the inaccurate, poorly presented forecasts on the idiot box. I do have to agree with fellow North Westerners about the awful presenting form that Eno woman. I come on here for my forecasts plus the excellent mountain forecasts from mwis.org.uk.

One thing that really winds me up about weather presenters, as well as the cold = bad, mild = good, is the stupid descriptive words they use, especially Daniel Corbett, 'it's like I've coloured in with blue crayon', when describing rainfall on the map, wtf! Also when they advise you to take an umbrella in the morning, just tell me what the weather is doing mate and I'll decide if I need a brolly.

Weather should be presented like the news, in an unbiased way.

Agree with you entirely. There's far too much subjectivity in the forecasts, not all of us has an obsession with warmth and sunshine ( well I don't anyway, at least not in a positive way ) and I can make up my own mind as to whether the weather is good or bad.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

I've been very critical of the BBC national forecasts in recent years but it seems that those of us in the North East and Cumbria have got pretty lucky with the regional ones recently!

Here's the BBC's list of regionalweather presenters- the relatively high level of meteorological qualification and enthusiasm of the NE/Cumbria presenters relative to most of the other regions does stick out quite nicely. There are a few other prominent meteorologists in other regions, e.g. Ian Ferguson, David Braine, Paul Hudson, but also quite a number of presenters who seem to have more of a presenting background than a meteorological one:

http://news.bbc.co.u...000/8480772.stm

Yes thanks for this thread. I'm not surprised Diane has no meterology education, but Heather has some. Oh the list doesn't include Eno - obviously the bbc don't feel she is worthy being on the list..

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  • 4 weeks later...

The northwest presenters have taken a bit of stick, but the national forecasts can be a bit ropey too. When zooming round the UK map why are there invariably no temperature symbols for northwest England apart from one over Kendal in Cumbria?

The millions of people from Merseyside, Manchester, over into West Yorkshire, down to Stoke and up through Lancashire have to guesstimate the temperature by triangulating the value from the aforementioned Kendal, with those from Anglesey, Aberystwyth, Birmingham and Hull.

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Posted
  • Location: Manchester
  • Location: Manchester

I certainly agree with what people are saying about the North West forecasts. I haven't really watched the South West ones since I've been down here but when I was in Manchester I think I drove everyone mad with my moaning about the weather forecasts on North West Tonight. I agree with what Interitus is saying in the post above about the temperatures not being clear, not only in the national forecasts but also in the North West ones. It's like they are trying to appease the people of Liverpool and Manchester by 'sharing' the temperature symbols, seemingly swapping between the two cities from day to day- 'okay it's your turn to have the temperature today!'

In addition I find that the regional forecasts are a complete waste of time. I know some have suggested they have been overestimating the temperatures but my experience is that they are nearly always too low on the North West weather. Also they sometimes report on temperatures that have been recorded in that particular day and these are often incorrect- I've sometimes looked at the reports for certain North West stations and they have often been higher than the supposed 'highest temperature' that day in the North West. Add to this the fact that they mark random villages on the map as opposed to the populated areas, which further decreases the accessability of the forecasts.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

The northwest presenters have taken a bit of stick, but the national forecasts can be a bit ropey too. When zooming round the UK map why are there invariably no temperature symbols for northwest England apart from one over Kendal in Cumbria?

The millions of people from Merseyside, Manchester, over into West Yorkshire, down to Stoke and up through Lancashire have to guesstimate the temperature by triangulating the value from the aforementioned Kendal, with those from Anglesey, Aberystwyth, Birmingham and Hull.

They often do show Kendal - which is always pleasing for us here in SE Cumbira - however, temps in these parts are hardly indicative of the rest of the NW region - quite often we are a degree or two cooler than Manchester, and sometimes 3 degrees cooler than Liverpool esp in the winter thanks to its coastal location. Often we can be 4 degrees or even more cooler than the south part of the NW region when low cloud and rain plagues these parts on mild SW/W winds esp the case in the summer. Last Thursday for instance saw me leave Kendal at 9 degrees at 2.00pm and by the time I was near Preston the temp was 15 degrees under blue skies and sunshine - the temp stuck at 15 degrees as I made way into cheshire.

Back to the NW forecasts - they are very misleading I've noticed how the 5 day forecasts show max temp usually based on Isle of Man max - which in the winter tends to be much milder than the rest of the region - very misleading indeed.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

Didn't the BBC NW forecasts went through a phase where they put towns on the map whose initials spelt out the weather for that day? eg frost, snow, rain etc.

The other weekend I saw a BBC NW broadcast by Eno and someone forgot to press a button at the end as we saw a still of Eno with smiling face and closed eyes! In another words, revealing it was a recording!

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Posted
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Thunder, snow, heat, sunshine...
  • Location: Beccles, Suffolk.

Generally speaking - there have been exceptions - I have always rated the BBC forecasts as being better than those from elsewhere...

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Agree with you entirely. There's far too much subjectivity in the forecasts, not all of us has an obsession with warmth and sunshine ( well I don't anyway, at least not in a positive way ) and I can make up my own mind as to whether the weather is good or bad.

This has always been a pet bugbear of mine (as you probably already know!).

Re. Solar Sausage, I think the BBC national forecasts are still superior to TV/radio national forecasts from elsewhere but that the gap has narrowed during the past decade, mainly due to the ITV-esque dumbing down.

As for the regional forecasts, it strikes me that there is considerable regional variation and some can probably claim with justification that their local BBC forecasts are no better than the ones over at ITV. The North East and Cumbria forecasts have evidently bucked a general dumbing-down trend in the past half-dozen years- these days they are well ahead of the local ITV Tyne Tees broadcasts particularly since Bob Johnson's retirement.

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