BBC Weather

BBC Weather is the BBC's department in charge of preparing and broadcasting weather forecasts and is now part of BBC News. The broadcast meteorologists are employed by the Met Office. The longest-serving BBC weather forecaster is Michael Fish, who appeared for 36 years between 1974 and 2010 and still occasionally forecasts for South East Today.

On 23 August 2015, the BBC announced that the Met Office will lose its contract as the BBC is legally obligated to ensure that licence fee payers get the best value for money. A new forecaster will be announced and will take over in 2016, although the on air presenting team is not expected to change, and Met Office severe weather warnings will continue to be used by BBC Weather.

History

Early history

The first BBC weather forecast was a shipping forecast broadcast on the radio on behalf of the Met Office on 14 November 1922, and the first daily weather forecast was broadcast on 26 March 1923.

In 1936, the BBC experimented with the world's 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 announcer reading the next day's weather.