Culture reporter
BBCThe BBC is to reunite with the Met Office for its weather forecasts and climate updates, eight years after the relationship between the two organisations ended.
The new partnership, announced on Wednesday, is aimed at delivering “the most trusted and accurate weather service to everyone in the UK”, the corporation said.
Since September 2017, data for the BBC’s TV, radio and online forecasts has been provided by the Dutch MeteoGroup which was subsequently acquired by the US weather services company DTN.
BBC director general Tim Davie said the weather is “the UK’s favourite conversation” and “hugely important to all our lives and all our audiences across the world”.
He added: “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.”
No new jobs, or job cuts, have been announced as part of the deal.
BBC News understands it is not a commercial relationship involving procurement, but an agreement between the two organisations in the interests of public service.
‘Changing climate’
The partnership announcement arrived as Tsunami waves reached the US west coast after a 8.8 magnitude earthquake – one of the most powerful ever recorded – off Russia’s eastern coast triggered warnings across the Pacific.
In 2022, a national emergency was declared in the UK after a red extreme heat warning was issued for the first time, as temperatures hit 40C (104F).
Penny Endersby, CEO of the Met Office said on Wednesday: “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.”
The Met Office is the UK’s national weather service and a world-leading centre for climate science.
The BBC’s weather forecasts will continue to come from DTN for the time being and an update on the new partnership with the Met Office is expected “later this year”.
The corporation added in a statement it wanted to “help more people stay safe, thrive and understand the wonder of weather”.
