Reporting the weather during extreme events such as a prolonged heatwave as we had this year is always exciting because everyone turns their attention to the latest forecast. Everybody wants to know what is going to happen next.
From a presenting angle, this summer was fun but challenging. There are only so many ways one can describe “hot and sunny” day after day, so we augmented our reporting with statistics, such as temperature records or how many days somewhere in the UK saw 30C (86F) or above. The BBC’s Weather Watcher community is a big help during spells of repetitive weather. The images we received became increasingly brown as the grass dried out, which really brought to life what we were describing on our weather maps.
Many people don’t realise that weather forecasts are unscripted. Filling two minutes can be quite difficult, so in some ways, I look forward to having more changeable or extreme weather.
Lots of people relished the sunny days and hot temperatures over what became the joint-hottest summer on record for the UK. But what you learn quite quickly in my job is that one person’s favourite weather is another person’s least favourite. Not everyone was celebrating the heat. Farmers and gardeners struggled – some areas in the south east of England endured about 50 days without any rain. So presenting hot weather as good news isn’t necessarily appropriate; you have to get the balance of your reporting right.
It is difficult to say what the heatwave means for the future. However, scientists generally agree that more severe weather events such as heatwaves, flooding, heavy snow falls and droughts are likely to occur more frequently. But we can’t guarantee that every summer in the UK will be dry and hot from now on.
