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The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

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

A hurricane is seen from the International Space Station

15/07/2021 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)

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