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Helen Young had been the Lead Presenter at the BBC Weather Centre since August 2002, until 2005.

She was born in Crawley, Sussex and attended the Old Palace School in Croydon, where she is now a Governor. She first became interested in meteorology whilst studying Geography A level and went on to gain a BSc (Hons) in Geography from Bristol University in 1990.

Helen joined the Met Office in September 1990, working in the Commercial Services Division as a consultant providing climatology reports for the building and transport industries. She began training as a forecaster in November 1992 and moved to the Bristol Weather Centre 3 months later, appearing as a regional weather presenter for BBC West.

In 1993 Helen joined the BBC Weather Centre team in London and was appointed its Deputy Manager in April 1998. In January 2000 she became the Broadcast Manager responsible for the work of Broadcast Meteorologists at the BBC.

Helen was one of the main presenters on The Weather Show and has also presented two series of Strange Weather Days for Radio 4, a weather series for the children's programme Zig-Zag and the 2000 Today millennium programme.

She was also a presenter on BBC2 Airshow where she had to show off her flying skills. She has written a children's book on weather, which was published in both France, Poland and America.

Helen is married to a British Airways pilot and they live in Surrey with their 2 children. In 1992, she completed the London Marathon, raising £5,000 for the Guillain Barre Syndrome (a disease of the peripheral nervous system) Support Group, and in 1999 she was part of a BBC Weather Centre team that ran the Great North Run.

Her other sporting interests include swimming and skiing. Helen enjoys travelling, gardening, making cards, and has helped to run a local Brownie Pack.

FAQ - Helen Young
Find out the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions to the forecasters in our team. Here we quiz Helen Young on your behalf...

What did you do before becoming a weather forecaster?
After studying a BSc in Physical Geography at Bristol University, I worked in the Building Consultancy Unit of the Met Office writing climatological reports for county councils. I often had to go out to rural locations and report on whether proposed road routes would be fog prone or frost prone. It was a great job but you were certainly less popular than being a TV weather forecaster! When I was at university in the summer holidays I worked in the accounts department of a large construction company.

When did you become a weather forecaster?
I joined the BBC Weather Centre in November 1993.

Why did you want to be a weather forecaster?
I didn't originally! At university my friends used to tease me and say you'll be on telly doing the weather one day. I always used to answer that there were far more jobs in the Met Office than being on telly, and that I wanted to be a proper weather forecaster behind the scenes. I have to eat my words now, don't I? Once I had got through my first broadcast, I was hooked.

Did you get nervous before a broadcast?
Yes, you had to learn to control your nerves, that's the hard bit.

Have you ever made any mistakes?
Yes! It is live after all. I had been known to say 'show showers' and 'shattered showers' amongst other things. On one occasion I forgot to put my microphone on, and the unusual 'frog and fost' has been uttered instead of 'fog and frost'!

Is your job hard?
Yes it was very tiring. We work 10-12 hour shifts. Most of the broadcasts are live and that is hard work in itself.

Did you enjoy your job?
I loved it. It's the only job I know where you get paid for getting it wrong every now and again, and you don't have to go back the next day and correct it! You get a great deal of satisfaction from doing a job from start to finish - and you get a real buzz from doing TV.

Could anyone do your job?
You generally need to be a fully trained forecaster to work at the BBC Weather Centre. We all work for the Met Office. To become a qualified meteorologist you have to have preferably a science degree or science A-levels. On top of that you have to have enthusiasm and don't mind getting up at 4am for the early shift.

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	Helen Young had been the Lead Presenter at the BBC Weather Centre since August 2002, until 2005. She was born in Crawley, Sussex and attended the Old Palace School in Croydon, where she is now a Governor. She first became interested in meteorology whilst studying Geography A level and went on to gain a BSc (Hons) in Geography from Bristol University in 1990. Helen joined the Met Office in September 1990, working in the Commercial Services Division as a consultant providing climatology reports for the building and transport industries. She began training as a forecaster in November 1992 and moved to the Bristol Weather Centre 3 months later, appearing as a regional weather presenter for BBC West. In 1993 Helen joined the BBC Weather Centre team in London and was appointed its Deputy Manager in April 1998. In January 2000 she became the Broadcast Manager responsible for the work of Broadcast Meteorologists at the BBC. Helen was one of the main presenters on The Weather Show and has also presented two series of Strange Weather Days for Radio 4, a weather series for the children's programme Zig-Zag and the 2000 Today millennium programme. She was also a presenter on BBC2 Airshow where she had to show off her flying skills. She has written a children's book on weather, which was published in both France, Poland and America. Helen is married to a British Airways pilot and they live in Surrey with their 2 children. In 1992, she completed the London Marathon, raising £5,000 for the Guillain Barre Syndrome (a disease of the peripheral nervous system) Support Group, and in 1999 she was part of a BBC Weather Centre team that ran the Great North Run. Her other sporting interests include swimming and skiing. Helen enjoys travelling, gardening, making cards, and has helped to run a local Brownie Pack. FAQ - Helen Young Find out the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions to the forecasters in our team. Here we quiz Helen Young on your behalf... What did you do before becoming a weather forecaster? After studying a BSc in Physical Geography at Bristol University, I worked in the Building Consultancy Unit of the Met Office writing climatological reports for county councils. I often had to go out to rural locations and report on whether proposed road routes would be fog prone or frost prone. It was a great job but you were certainly less popular than being a TV weather forecaster! When I was at university in the summer holidays I worked in the accounts department of a large construction company. When did you become a weather forecaster? I joined the BBC Weather Centre in November 1993. Why did you want to be a weather forecaster? I didn't originally! At university my friends used to tease me and say you'll be on telly doing the weather one day. I always used to answer that there were far more jobs in the Met Office than being on telly, and that I wanted to be a proper weather forecaster behind the scenes. I have to eat my words now, don't I? Once I had got through my first broadcast, I was hooked. Did you get nervous before a broadcast? Yes, you had to learn to control your nerves, that's the hard bit. Have you ever made any mistakes? Yes! It is live after all. I had been known to say 'show showers' and 'shattered showers' amongst other things. On one occasion I forgot to put my microphone on, and the unusual 'frog and fost' has been uttered instead of 'fog and frost'! Is your job hard? Yes it was very tiring. We work 10-12 hour shifts. Most of the broadcasts are live and that is hard work in itself. Did you enjoy your job? I loved it. It's the only job I know where you get paid for getting it wrong every now and again, and you don't have to go back the next day and correct it! You get a great deal of satisfaction from doing a job from start to finish - and you get a real buzz from doing TV. Could anyone do your job? You generally need to be a fully trained forecaster to work at the BBC Weather Centre. We all work for the Met Office. To become a qualified meteorologist you have to have preferably a science degree or science A-levels. On top of that you have to have enthusiasm and don't mind getting up at 4am for the early shift.