11 April 2013 Last updated at 13:42

Help and FAQs

If you have a question about the BBC Weather Website, please read these frequently asked questions first.

If your query is about our new-look website that we launched in mid-November 2011, we have an interactive guide which explains some of the key differences to the old site.

Recent Updates

Missing Base map Image tiles

We have become aware of an issue that is affecting the background images of our forecast maps. Due to the inconsistent nature of the problem, it has proved difficult to replicate the exact cause but we are continuing in our attempts to fix this as soon as possible.

Mobile

Our mobile site now includes hourly forecast information and a detailed breakdown for each day.

Go to the web application on your mobile phone menu and type in m.bbc.co.uk/weather

24 hour detail

We now have full hourly and 3 hourly forecast details for every day on the mobile site. Each day is a clickable link which will take you to a full view of the information.

Location bookmarking

In order to bring the mobile site in line with our desktop site the way we use location has changed. You will need to search for your location and bookmark the new page in order to get directly to your forecast.

Coast and sea

We have now updated the design of our coast and sea section to match the new version of the weather site. You can still find all the same detail and weather as the previous version, with prominence given to regions with weather warnings in force.

What is UTC and why is it used for Coast and Sea?

Our Coast and Sea section uses the UTC time standard.

Although they are not exactly the same, for general day-to-day purposes you can think of UTC as being the same as GMT.

Just like GMT, during British Summer Time you should add one hour to the times shown here.

UTC is a safer system for displaying information for seafarers as it provides consistency all year for all locations.

Hourly Forecasts and increase in forecast locations

Hourly forecast graphical view

In early 2012 we updated our forecast data to move to a new, more complex forecast data model from the Met Office. This new data set gives us more granular data, both in terms of the number of forecast points across the UK (a tenfold increase), and in terms of granularity and frequency of the forecasts themselves.

The most dramatic improvement we have implemented is the hourly forecasts for UK locations. Some 24 hours' worth of data is a lot of information to squeeze onto the page and still make it readable and user friendly.

We have a graphical view to enable a quick glance at the highs and lows of the day. There is also a static table view for users who want all the details in a single line.

There is a BBC Weather internet blog post with more details on this change.

Why is there hourly data for only the first two days?

As you might expect the granularity of the weather data reduces the further ahead in time you go. So as you move from two to three days ahead, the forecasts go from hourly to three-hourly. We have chosen to show everything we have available, so as new information arrives the site updates. For UK locations we get updates every hour throughout the day.

Further ahead forecasts

We have now introduced extended forecasts, providing up to 10-day forecasts for all our locations.

When you select a forecast location on BBC Weather you will see the forecast for today and the next four days in the tabs across the top of the page. Above the 'Find a Forecast' box you will now see a 'Further ahead' button which will take you to the following five days' forecasts (i.e. into next week).

There is a separate BBC Weather internet blog post with more details on this change.

Forecast locations

We have approximately 5,000 forecast locations in the UK, with a further 5000 international locations. When you search for a location or UK postcode we provide the most meteorologically appropriate forecast to the place you choose.

In most cases it will be the closest geographical point, but sometimes the nearest forecast isn't the most accurate if you are searching for a coastal location or one at high altitude. In these instances we provide the most suitable alternative.

When entering a postcode, we use the central point of the post code district to find the closest forecast. In some cases such as living in a large post code area, it may be more appropriate to search for your town name to ensure you have the most appropriate forecast where you are.

Forecast maps

Below we have covered some of the more frequent questions about maps.

I can't find the maps that show the last 12 hours.

You can switch between "Forecast" and "Observation" maps by clicking on the link to the bottom right of the maps. Observations show the observed images for the last 12 hours.

The place names on the maps get in the way. Can I hide them?

You can now choose to display location place names using the "Locations on|off" option which can be found at the top right of the map section.

I liked being able to navigate around the map. Why doesn't this one move?

On the old site we had fixed map areas that covered set regions. The navigation was introduced on the previous map due to feedback from people who lived in towns on the edges of these set regions. This enabled them to look at the next areas without leaving the page.

As part of the new site we improved the forecast maps by centring and highlighting the exact location you have searched for. Now, as we are able to make all your active locations appear highlighted in the middle of the map, we chose to remove the scroll feature.

Since then we have heard feedback from users who want to navigate around the map for other reasons. We have been looking at this and at present it is not an easy thing to introduce as we do not have set map areas any more. Making a forecast map which scrolls the UK weather is extremely complicated and would put a lot of additional strain on the performance of our site. Once we can find a suitable solution, we will look again at introducing scrolling maps.

Can you make the local map more zoomed out?

We chose the zoom level for local maps based on the level of detail we can show and to match the current zoom level used for parts of the UK. We understand that some users would prefer to have a more zoomed out local area as there is not enough detail in the landscape on a close-up. Please let us know if your location seems to be zoomed in too close.

I can't tell the difference between the colours on the maps.

We are aware that some users are having difficulty distinguishing weather types with the colours on the maps. The Map Key below the maps is there to help you in understanding the different weather types and the layers.

We are working with our graphic provider on ways to improve the clarity of the map colours.

Personalisation

How do I find international forecasts?

On the previous site you had to select an option to search for world locations. Now all locations can be searched from one box.

You can type the name of a country, or a town within a country to find an international forecast for the locations we currently have forecasts for.

How do I change my language and page preferences?

Clicking on the settings link gives you options to change your language between English and Welsh, temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and wind speed from mph to km/h.

How can I save and use my favourite locations?

Favourites are now found in the Find a Forecast box. When you are viewing a forecast page, click "Add to Favourites" to store it. You'll be able to find it there later.

Unfortunately technical restrictions mean that Weather favourites are only available to users with JavaScript turned on in their browser.

Why is the Weather homepage showing forecast details for a location I don't want to see?

You can set your home weather location for the weather site by adding a location to your 'Favourite Location' list. The location at the top of the list is always the first one displayed in the carousel when you arrive on the weather homepage.

London (UK) or New York (International) appear as examples for users who have not yet added their own location.

It will eventually be possible to set up one of your favourites for use across more of the BBC, including the BBC Homepage and BBC News website.

My favourite location is saved but it's not the first one I see on the Weather Homepage.

If you have added more that one location in your favourites, you can change the order they appear. Click edit in the list, and then click and drag the location you want to the top of the list. Then click save.

How do I delete a location from my Favourites list?

You can delete a weather location from the 'Favourite Locations' list by clicking edit, and then the X to the left of the location you want to remove. Then click save.

I've stored my favourite locations, but when I return they have gone. Why?

The weather site uses cookies to store your locations. If locations are not stored, it may be because cookies are not enabled on your computer, or that they are automatically deleted at certain intervals for security reasons. This could be a setting in your browser, your anti-virus & security software, or due to administrator policies on a work computer.

See WebWise for more information about cookies and how to enable them. The BBC's privacy & cookies policy includes details of all cookies used on bbc.co.uk.

Share tools, RSS and Printing

You can choose to share your forecast page by posting a link to a number of social media websites using the share icons.

You can also subscribe to a three-day forecast using the orange RSS Icon.

Finally, clicking the Printer icon provides you with a five-day forecast, in a format more suitable for page printing than using the full page from the website.

Contact Us

Who do I contact about TV, radio or video forecasts?

If you wish to contact the Weather Centre regarding any issues or queries related to the broadcast content for TV, radio or video forecast, or a query about meteorology please use the contact us form.

If you would like to send in weather pictures see our guidelines on submitting weather pictures.

How can I suggest new features for the website site?

We are passionate about our website and know you are too! If you have suggestions and ideas on how improve the Weather website, please use the contact us form.

Unfortunately we can't respond to every email, but we do read all the feedback you send us. We know we won't get it right for everyone and welcome constructive criticism, so please feel free to provide any specific examples or details of what is important to you.

How do I report a technical problem with the site?

We try to make sure there are as few technical problems with the site as possible. However, if you do happen to find a problem with the way the website works please contact us.

A lot of technical issues are quite specific. Please provide as much detail as possible about the problem, such as the forecast you are viewing, what page of the site you are visiting, web browser (and version), type of device and operating system you are using (also screen shots if you can). This will help us to identify and fix problems as soon as possible.