Watch & Learn

Our 'How To' films are packed with practical advice on decoding, recording, spotting and photographing weather.

How To... Cloud Spot

Did you know that there are lots of different cloud types that occur at different heights, coming in all shapes and sizes? Carol Kirkwood introduces some of the different cloud types you might be seeing in the sky.

• Play the 'How To' clip on cloudspotting

How To... Shoot Stunning Weather Photography

Tomasz Schafernaker shows you how to take stunning weather photographs. All in eight handy tips. (Images courtesy of Mark Humpage.)

• Play the 'How To' clip on weather photography

How To... Decode A Weather Forecast

If you're not sure of the difference between a warm and a cold front, or thought an isobar was somewhere to get a drink, worry no more as weather presenter Carol Kirkwood explains the terminology used in UK weather broadcasts.

• Play the 'How To' clip on understanding weather terminology

How To... Build A Rain Gauge

The Great British Weather meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker shows how you can monitor precipitation where you live by making a rain gauge using everyday items.

• Play the 'How To' clip on building a rain gauge

Ask the Expert

Tomasz Schafernaker, our resident weather geek, answered a selection of your weather questions.

• What is a bolt of lightning made of?
• Why is the sky blue?
• What colour is the screen you stand in front of when presenting a weather forecast?
• What does the phrase "Red sky in the morning shepherd's warning" mean?

Q: What is a bolt of lightning made of?
A: A bolt of lightning is made of a 'negative charge' or electrons from a Cumulonimbus cloud. A typical lightning bolt contains 1 billion volts, contains between 10,000 to 200,000 amperes of current, and can travel over a distance of many miles.

Q: Why is the sky blue?
A: White light coming from the sun is actually not white at all: it's a mixture of every colour we see in the rainbow, but we just see it as white. As this 'white sunlight' enters our atmosphere it interacts with all air molecules. The molecules in the Earth's atmosphere have little effect on the red, yellow and green; these colours simply pass through the atmosphere. Blue light, on the other hand, gets scattered by the air molecules and spread across the whole sky in roughly all directions. We then see the reflected blue light of the sky and the sun as yellow.

Q: What colour is the screen you stand in front of when presenting a weather forecast?
A: Usually green. Anywhere where the camera 'sees green' as part of the weather graphic is overlaid. So you can't wear green clothes, otherwise all you'd see on TV is a floating head and two hands!

Q: What does the phrase "Red sky in the morning shepherd's warning" mean?
A: On a clear morning, the rising sun in the east can sometimes light up high Cirrostratus clouds, which are made of ice, on the opposite side of the sky in the west. These clouds can be the forerunner of weather fronts, which often come from the west - so any hint of these clouds to the west during the early morning may herald rain later in the day.