Why is there a storm over BBC weather forecasts?

FORMER weather man Bill Giles is absolutely right to complain about the new BBC weather map (Mail). Previously the areas of rain, sleet and snow were clearly defined, but now it’s impossible to make out whether it’s going to be dry or sunny. There is too much information on a tiny map. Viewers are expected to be able to tell the difference between white cloud, fog and snow! TERRY J. BROWN, Brighton, E. Sussex. I haVe to praise the recent forecasts by the Met Office and TV weather forecasters. The other week, we were told it would snow in my town at 11am on Saturday — the first flurries arrived at 11.05am. I know millions have been spent on satellite upgrades, but this is seriously impressive. I was a farmer for many years at a time when many forecasts were rubbish, especially when it mattered around haymaking and harvest. S. CHALLONER, Andover, Hants. I AGREE with Bill Giles that ‘a forecast is supposed to give you a clear idea of what might be in store tomorrow, but the new maps with their state-of-the-art graphics are a severe disappointment’. When there was a sun symbol halfobscured by cloud or a symbol indicating rain or snow, it was clear what was meant. Now I don’t know what a grey swirl of shading mixed with blue can possibly mean. JILL WOODS, Bexhill-on-Sea, E. Sussex. WhY does the BBC’s new weather map ignore towns and cities in the North-West of england? There is a huge gap between Birmingham and Glasgow — do they think no one lives there? JEAN JONES, Cheadle, Cheshire.