The Met Office will deliver weather forecasts for the BBC once again, after data revealed that the broadcaster’s current provider’s predictions are too pessimistic.
The state-owned forecaster promised that a “supercomputer” will deliver the most accurate forecasts yet as the BBC renewed its relationship with the provider it controversially dropped.
The Met Office lost the BBC contract to another forecaster, MeteoGroup, in 2016.
That marked an end to a more than 90-year partnership between the two organisations, stretching back to the first radio weather bulletin broadcast on November 14 1922.
Now the Met Office, boosted by University of Reading research this year which found that its temperature forecasts were more reliable than BBC Weather’s MeteoGroup predictions, has won back the contract.
The new “expansive and long-term partnership” will focus on weather education and countering misinformation and disinformation in weather and climate areas, the BBC said.
Viewers are promised greater accuracy, with the Met Office’s “supercomputer” delivering the most advanced weather information yet seen.
MeteoGroup, a private European-based weather services provider, has been swallowed up by US weather services company DTN, since winning the contract in 2016.
The company faced criticism over bungles such as the 2024 glitch which left the BBC Weather app forecasting 13,000 mph winds in parts of the UK, which did not arrive.
The Met Office was said to have lost the contract over BBC concerns that its mobile app was too slow and disagreements over whether forecasts that include “probabilities”of outcomes in forecasts, which the Met favoured, would confuse viewers.
Any difficulties have been ironed out with the Met Office able to call on the university research which found that its forecasts are more likely to give an accurate reading of the temperature, proving better on 5.4 per cent more occasions than BBC Weather.
The data, first revealed in the i paper, showed that the BBC app was too pessimistic, predicting colder and wetter weather than actually comes to pass.
Carol Kirkwood delivering the BBC weather forecast (BBC/James Stack)The BBC said details of how the look of the UK weather map might change, which always provokes a strong reaction from viewers, will be disclosed later this year.
Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office said: “As the UK’s National Weather Service, we are excited to be back working closely with the BBC again. Together we can reach even more people with essential weather information, helping them to plan their days, stay safe when it matters and keep well-informed in our changing climate.”
Tim Davie, Director-General of the BBC said: “Weather is the UK’s favourite conversation and hugely important to all our lives and all our audiences across the world.”
“The BBC’s world-renowned journalism will be working together with the Met Office’s weather and climate intelligence to turn science into stories and help everyone in the UK to make informed decisions about the weather.”
“There has never been more need for trusted and impartial information to help people understand today’s weather.”
The BBC said the broadcaster and the Met Office are forming an exciting new partnership to deliver the most trusted and accurate weather service to everyone in the UK.”
“Two of the nation’s most iconic institutions will reunite to combine their joint expertise, provide a better public service and help more people stay safe, thrive and understand the wonder of weather.”
A BBC source said: “This is a partnership with the Met Office, not a commercial relationship and we are joining together in the spirit of public service. It is not the result of a procurement.”
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