In 1769 George III built his Royal Observatory at Kew to observe the transit of Venus, but it became an important centre for studying the weather. Today it closes after 211 years of observations and its work transfers to the Meteorological Office HQ at Bracknell. At Kew Jack Scott finds out about its history and some of the ancient instruments, and at Bracknell Jim Bacon, Michael Fish , Bill Giles and Frank Greene look at the modern technology and this year's notable weather events.
Research GAY RAIN
Film cameraman SID DAVIES Sound recordist MIKE SAVAGE Editor ROWLAND ARMSTRONG Producer JOHN TEATHER