On 6 February 2018, BBC Weather changed supplier from the government Met Office to MeteoGroup after an open competition.
[5][6] In 1962, the installation of a fax machine and an electronic computer in the Met Office led to more accurate and quicker forecasting.
This did not change 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.
Noted 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.
Cloud cover is indicated by the brightness of the map, while rain and snow are indicated by animated blue and white areas respectively.
[11] The move polarised opinion; some saw it as more accurate and modern, while others disliked the brown colour chosen for the landmass and the presumed high cost of the graphics.
The angling of the map, in order to show the curvature of the Earth, led to Scotland appearing little larger than Devon, and Shetland being almost invisible while exaggerating London and the South East.
[12] Criticism continued, however, with some viewers complaining about the colour scheme, and of a lack of detail in the forecast about weather developments beyond 36 hours.
Many used the comments section of the blog[22] written by Michael Burnett, the BBC Executive responsible, to voice their complaints.
The website also runs frequent special features about seasonal sports, white Christmas, nature, and meteorological science.
In October 2024 a technical fault affecting the supplying of data from DTN caused the BBC Weather website and app to incorrectly forecast wind speeds of over 15,000 mph (24,000 km/h) and air temperatures exceeding 400 °C (750 °F).