Weather information guide

Help understanding the weather information

Latest/recent observations and forecasts are available at three levels.

For the UK
For 16 regions, e.g. South West England
For a location, e.g. Exeter

Any page can be added to favourites or bookmarked.

The panel opposite has details of how to view the warnings.

Keeping you safe
What should you do when we issue a warning? Follow our advice on actions to take when severe weather is forecast...

How to view the observations and forecasts

This example shows the UK forecast page. The notes below also apply to all regional and location pages.

Screenshot

Left column

A clickable map is used to display a range of parameters. Selecting a weather symbol will show the latest observations/forecast for that location. Other areas on the map link to regional pages (from the UK map) or to adjacent regions (from a regional map) or to nearby sites (from a location map). The clickable map may not display correctly on hand-held devices.

The date/time above the map refers to the time (local) of the observation/forecast.

Various animation controls will step through, play a loop or jump to a specific time/day in the recent past/forecast. A link may be available if more information is available for the parameter currently displayed.

The tabs above the map are used to switch between latest/recent and forecast weather and to change the parameter displayed on the map.

The updated time refers to the time (local) when that information became available.

When viewing a regional or location map, additional layers showing roads, terrain and boundaries can be displayed using the check boxes below the updated time.

When viewing a forecast location, a link to the nearest observation site is shown. There are more forecast sites than observation sites.

The help buttons link to the guide (this page) and a key to the forecasts:

Weather symbols key

As an alternative to clicking on the map, a region or location can be selected from drop-down menus. Entering a valid postcode will show observations/forecasts for the nearest location.

The red box on the thumbnail map shows the extent of the area being viewed. Clicking on this map is another way to select a region. The zoom-out button links to the UK page (from a regional page) or regional page (from a location page).

Centre panel

A box at the top displays weather warnings and Advisories. Areas of the thumbnail maps are coloured yellow, orange or red when warnings are in force.

Observations/forecasts are shown in the tables. Where present, selecting a tab will show more information. The updated time (local) refers to the time when that information became available.

Right column

Other products and more detailed information can be accessed from any page using the expandable navigation bar.