50 years of Weather Forecasts - Call for Old Images and Recordings

Lumi

I've been asked to bring this to the attention of Boards.ie weather forum by the Irish Meteorological Society and Gerald Fleming, Head of Forecasting in Met Éireann

RTE will, over the coming 12 months, make a series of television programmes to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Telefís Éireann. As part of this series, they plan a programme illustrating the development of television weather forecasts, and the work of weather broadcasting in general.

They would be interested in viewing any images or recordings of old weather broadcasts – there is not a lot of visual material available in the RTE library, especially from the 1960’s and the 1970’s, as most weather broadcasts were delivered live and thus not recorded. If anyone has such material, and would be willing to offer it for possible use in the programme, I would be very grateful if you could contact me in the first instance. All material would, of course, be returned to the owners once the programme was made.

With best regards
Gerald Fleming
Head of Forecasting
Met Eireann

gerald.fleming@met.ie

bizguy

I hate being cynical but looking at todays forecast (the one at 12.30, this "forecast" will be different in an hour or two btw), how much has changed since the 70's?!

Dry for a time in parts of the east but generally cloudy with outbreaks of rain or sleet, turning to snow on higher ground. Highest temperatures 3 to 6 degrees Celsius in Ulster and Connaught but 7 to 10 degrees Celsius in Leinster and Munster. Moderate to fresh, southerly winds in much of Leinster and Munster for a time, otherwise light, variable breezes.

"For a time", "generally", "much of", "dry", "cloudy", "rain", "sleet", "snow", "winds", "breezes".......could it be more generic????

Su Campu

bizguy wrote: »

I hate being cynical but looking at todays forecast (the one at 12.30, this "forecast" will be different in an hour or two btw), how much has changed since the 70's?!



"For a time", "generally", "much of", "dry", "cloudy", "rain", "sleet", "snow", "winds", "breezes".......could it be more generic????

This bash-Met-Eireann-at-all-costs campaign is getting a bit ridiculous at this stage. What's your point? That forecast is fine imo. A bit of everything is typical of March weather, and the use of terms like "much of Leinster" is as specific as one can be, and needs to be for that matter. Take a look at any other forecast from the Met Service of a country this size and you'll see similar.

Danno

Well said Su, Met Eireann are under financial constraints like most public bodies and they still manage a very good service in what must be one of the most difficult regions of the world for variable weather.

Time for a couple of the critics to setup their own weather websites and deliver forecasts themselves to prove how great they are... :rolleyes:

bizguy

Ok here's my RTE-esque forecast for tomorrow without looking at any other forecast for inspiration, me having no budget, no employees and no technology.

"Generally sunny for much of the country with a few scattered showers. Temperatures ranging between 6 and 11 degrees, turning very cold at night with frost in many areas."

If you want I can give these vague weather predictions daily in this post if you want, based on todays weather outside my window. Are you suggesting these will be very different from those given by RTE?

The best weather predictions for this country are done by foreign forecasters, why is that?

Danno

TV3 use foreign weather data and its very innacurate.

pauldry

RTEs weather forecasts are very good IMO.

We are living on a tiny island with much room for variables considering a shift of a few miles in a low pressure system or a High can make such a differ.

I think they do a marvelous job. Well done Met Eireann

octo

bizguy wrote: »

If you want I can give these vague weather predictions daily in this post if you want, based on todays weather outside my window.

Can work reasonably well in settled conditions. ..