Change in the weather as BBC promotes digital content
July 31, 2026 11.18 Europe/London By Julian Clover


The BBC is restructuring its weather service with a greater focus on digital content and local forecasting, while introducing more automated television weather bulletins and closing a small number of posts.

As part of its renewed partnership with the Met Office, the BBC will open a new weather centre at the Met Office’s headquarters in Exeter and expand its existing weather hub in Salford. The changes are designed to reflect growing demand for weather information via the BBC Weather app, website and social media platforms. However, there will be significant changes in on screen presentation.

The broadcaster said local weather presenters will play a bigger role in lunchtime and weekend television forecasts, while network weather presenters will continue to deliver forecasts on programmes including BBC Breakfast, the Today programme on Radio 4 and the News at Six. The News at Ten national forecast will also continue during a trial period.

However, routine radio weather forecasts will in future be read by programme presenters and announcers. On the BBC News channel, half-hourly forecasts will continue but will use automated graphics rather than on-screen weather presenters. The same format will also be adopted for the overnight edition of Weather for the Week Ahead on BBC One, while the late-night weekday weather bulletin on BBC Two will end.

The proposals will result in a net reduction of three posts and the closure of two dedicated weather studios at Broadcasting House in London, contributing to the BBC’s wider £500 million savings programme.

Jonathan Munro, Interim CEO of BBC News, said recent heatwaves had underlined the importance of trusted weather information, while the BBC said record digital audiences during June’s hot weather demonstrated changing audience habits. During one seven-day period, BBC Weather attracted more than 23 million UK online users, its highest-ever weekly audience.