Original version

BBC World Service Australasia

The Forum

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

The Forum: Rain or shine? A short history of the weather forecast

Discussion & Talk

Hurricane Patricia is seen from the International Space Station. (Photo by Scott Kelly/NASA via Getty Images)

04/11/2017 GMT

Rain or shine? A short history of the weather forecast

BBC World Service - The Forum, Rain or shine? A short history of the weather forecast

A century and a half of scientific meteorology

A century and a half of scientific meteorology.

How did we get from not having any reliable way of predicting the weather just 150 years ago, to today's accurate, tailor-made forecasts for places as small as a village? Bridget Kendall and guests trace the history of meteorology, from its first steps as an aid to quicker trans-Atlantic shipping to the latest methods which can help anticipate weather events as short-lived as a tornado. 

Bridget is joined by Kristine Harper, a former US Navy forecaster and now a history professor at Florida State University; Peter Gibbs who started out as a meteorologist with the British Antarctic Survey and the UK's Met Office before becoming one of the best known weather forecasters on BBC radio and television; and Peter Moore, a writer and historian with a particular interest in weather discoveries of the 19th century.

Photo: A hurricane is seen from the International Space Station. (Scott Kelly/NASA via Getty Images)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Forum

Rain or shine? A short history of the weather forecast

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service