that's the weather, for now

30th October

BBCi British Isles
If you're maybe out-and-about early, maybe doing sort of things, maybe feeding the ducks on the duck pond, it shouldn't be a bad-looking day.

Quite a low that really winds up. One of those lows where you almost like pull a string and, vmmm [spinning-top gesture], off it goes, winds up.

Not probably the best night for the trick-or-treaters unless they've probably got the wet-weather gear [umbrella gesture - see pic] or the umbrella.

Dan's also on the various BBCi World forecasts until the early hours of tomorrow morning.

14:57 BBC News
Looks like the trick-or-treaters could be grabbing the wet-weather gear as they head out through the course of Saturday night.

We still have our little weather front sitting about there, bye-bye [pushes weather front off to the continent], slowly he clears away.

The trick-or-treaters are going to be out maybe, just give them some wet-weather gear.

Temperatures shouldn't be too bad for the trick-or-treaters, eleven, twelve to thirteen. But quite a change, the old jack-o'-lanterns [points to pumpkins on backdrop] through the first part of the evening could be glowing quite nicely, then the stronger winds will work their way in, vmm, like that.

Watch the video, embedded under the cut, below.

15:29 BBC News
Missed this one (went out to feed the ducks, of course. Yes, really.), but Mike (terratec365) has kindly uploaded it to YouTube for your viewing pleasure, along with the 15:57. As ever, it's embedded under the cut.

15:57 BBC News
Anyone looking for a Hallowe'en costume for the weekend might want to bear in mind an umbrella and perhaps a raincoat.

The low winds in;
Like you just sort of pull a top and go, vmm [spinning top gesture] off it goes.

Video, below.

BBC Radio 4
You can also catch Dan's forecast at the end of PM:
Listen again, 57m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

22nd October

We were expecting to see Dan on the News Channel overnight and, when he didn't appear, there was some concern that he wouldn't be able to get into the building after the protests at the BBC ("We are in lockdown, I repeat, Television Centre is in lockdown. Nothing in, nothing out."). Gasp!

However, either Dan had swapped shifts or the TBT was wrong - he was on the radio.

BBC Radio Bristol
I think the umbrella is still going to come in handy ... we can't put it all the way to the back of the cupboard.

Sunday is at least the day we'll start and finish on a dry note. Fine-looking day, that is the one to circle on the calendar as far as outdoor plans.

Listen again, about 58 minutes in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBC Radio Devon
Saturday is:
One of the days when you take the dog out for a walk but he sits at the door and says, 'no, not yet, mate. Let's wait 'til the afternoon'.

Listen again, 1h 49m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBC Radio 2
We hear Dan was being phoned by colleagues saying, 'you can't come in!' and that his wife was trying to get in for another programme but was stuck half a mile from the building.
By the time I finally came in they said, 'you can't come in and park!'. I finally just came in and they were waving me through.

Wow, just as predicted on Twitter:

LeeConti
I'm sure when Dan Corbett arrives at Television Centre, the unruly crowd will fall silent and part to allow him access.

While we're on the subject, another tweet worth a mention:

EthanRayne
If that unwashed mob at the BBC as much as ruffle a hair on Dan Corbett's head I'll be down there with a Supersoaker filled with dog piss.

Plenty of Dan-isms in the forecast:
Through the day some of us might actually let the umbrella just dry out for a spell, until you grab it again for Saturday. Saturday is another weather system working through. Of the two days of the weekend, Saturday's kind of 'uurgh, don't look at that one'.

Just sort of a yucky day, unless you want to grab your wellies and go splashing in the puddles, then it's your day, Saturday.

Sunday is:
A day for taking the family out to the park, something like that.

Janice seems surprised to learn that Dan's wife works at the BBC. But of course, we already knew that.

Listen again, 1h 42m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

Up All Night
Not the day for the outside, unless you want to go stromping about in the wellies or something like that.

Listen again, 3h 34m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

This weekend is looking busy (out to the park with my family, of course), so updates to the blog will follow at some point next week. But don't forget to watch The Weather Show!

27th September

BBC 5Live Weekend Breakfast
06:28
Thank goodness Weekend Breakfast is much less hazardous to your health than its weekday counterpart, or I'd have missed some interesting discussion about how Dan does his radio forecasts. It's worth a listen, and too long to transcribe.

Then, the forecast:
If you're peeling back the curtains fairly soon, when things get light, and you say, 'uurgh, God, it's grey', give it a couple of hours.

07:29
Wow, they say going to get Dan to do a piece of the 5Live blog about his forecasts - along with his scribbled-on charts. No sign of anything yet (UPDATE 11th Oct: I haven't forgotten about this, but it seems that the people at 5Live have - I do keep checking on a regular basis!), but will add a link to it here if/when it appears.

08:29
You pull back the kitchen window curtains or something and say, 'wow, a nice day!'.

Listen on the iPlayer, available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBCi North America
Watch the overnight temperatures really tumble ... you can see them sort of pulling out some blankets [gestures doing so - see pic].

Also, my friend Heather sent me a message to say she heard Dan on Radio 4 today - and I read on Twitter that he was on TV this afternoon too.

26th September

Another day of 5Live

07:30 BBC 5Live
Phil Williams: If only you could fix the weather, people wouldn't mind that, would they?

Dan: [laughs] We've been trying for a long time, yeah. Sometimes I do a rain dance but you shouldn't see it, it's an ugly one. But I don't need to do it today and I won't, because, I tell you, we've got a good-looking day.

High pressure sitting to the south-west of Britain, like it's been doing over the past couple of days, almost like you take some sticky glue, you stick it on the back of the high and put it to the south-west of Britain and it doesn't move.

08:28 BBC 5Live
That ridge of high pressure has been sitting to our south and to our west for the past couple of days, and it really hasn't moved. It's almost like it's got some lead weights attatched to it, it doesn't want to move - and it won't really.

Danny Baker
At half-hourly intervals I actually abandoned listening to Adam and Joe in order to watch (yes, watch) Dan do the weather on Danny Baker's show. During the live broadcast you are able to peer into the studio via a webcam, on the 5Live website and via the red button. Not just the usual webcam stills, but moving pictures, people.
Such a shame it's audio only on the iPlayer (available until 2nd January 2010).

09:30
If you're out-and-about, maybe just a trip to the park, you'll still do fairly well.

After previously wondering whether Dan gesticulates as he does his radio forecasts, my curiosity was satisfied; his hands did indeed move around as he talked. And I've long been fascinated by people's reactions to Dan, so it was good to see others in the studio watching attentively.

10:25

As if being able to WATCH Dan do the radio forecast wasn't already interesting enough, how about adding Alistair McGowan to the mix. Yes, Alistair McGowan, Britain's second best Daniel Corbett impersonator. I was keen to see what would happen if they were both in the studio at the same time. Not an impression, thankfully. But Dan did get a mention.

We hear Alistair is obsessed with attendances at football matches:
If there's 38,000 at Everton vs Fulham, that's OK, the world is all right ... but if there's suddenly 23,000 at Everton vs Fulham you think, 'what's happening?'. If there's 15,000 at Darlington vs Macclesfield, you think, 'ooh', so I always have to check. If the attendances fit the regular pattern, everything will be all right, the world will carry on. When the environmental doomsday comes, you watch, there'll be 8,000 at Everton vs Fulham and we'll know that we should have listened to [points at Dan] Daniel Corbett's weather forecasts, we should have worked out that the temperatures are rising and it would be reflected in the attendances.

Shortly afterwards, the forecast:
We've got this cloud easing in and maybe you've just stepped out this morning and gone, 'eeuw, gosh'.

Given my aforementioned interest in seeing other people's reactions to Dan, I was focussed on Alistair during the forecast. He watched attentively; I'd like to think he was doing some much needed homework.
They both left the studio at about the same time. Oh to be a fly on the wall...

BBCi North America
We continue to see some lovely weather over the western parts of North America. For some spots, people are probably looking at their watches [does so] in Canada, saying, 'is this actually late September?'.

25th September

So, it's been a while since Dan was last on 5Live, so I thought I'd give it another chance, partly because it's all on the iPlayer and listening does not depend upon receiving a decent satellite signal.
Instead, it depends upon how much nonsense I can bear.
The answer: not much.

06:28 BBC 5Live
It's almost like you put some sticky glue on the back of the high, leave it there.

Grrr, they talked over his sign-off.

06:58 BBC 5Live
Almost a day for a packed lunch

After which, my brain rotted away.
Next!

10:29 BBC 5Live
Ridge of high pressure has been sitting to the south-west of Britain for the past few days and it's still there, it's not really moving, like a big lump of concrete just sort of doesn't really want to move.

18th September

Fairly sure I missed lots of Dan-isms; the ongoing Sky+ problems rendered most broadcasts unwatchable.

22:26 BBC News
You're stepping to the outside, maybe take the dog for a walk [dog-walking gesture], you'll be fine, but just sort of seeing some cloud here and there [looks up].

02:26 BBC News
It's a dry start as well so if you are starting out early, take the dog out for a walk [dog-walking gesture], he'll probably sprint out the door.

BBCi British Isles
If you do have the outdoor plans, neighbours coming round or something, still going to be OK.

Shipping Forecast
Listen again, 1 minute in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBCi Europe
Greece; it won't be the deckchairs with the wet weather here [see pic].

26th August

BBC Radio Bristol
After today you've probably got the umbrella still drying in the front hall.

We've got a Bank Holiday weekend heading up and we haven't actually told the weather maps that yet.

Listen again, about 57 minutes in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBC Radio Devon
In which Dan described Hurricane Bill as 'a big old windbag', Saturday as a 'decent day, you can put a big circle on it on the calendar', and 'two thumbs up for the Bank Holiday weekend'. Yay!

Listen again, about 1h 51m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

BBC Radio 2
It could be the deckchairs out in the garden.

Worth a listen to hear Dan explain cloud seeding to an incredulous Steve Jones. 1h 43m in, available for 7 days from broadcast.

26th July

22:28 BBC News
What's left of our little weather system of the weekend, this little finger of blue here, notice how it just sort of thins, almost like you pull it apart [pulling gesture], like that [blows raspberry], that's it.

22:55 BBC News
What's left of our little weather front, the little line of blue ... you just sort of pull it apart, almost like a piece of blue plasticine [pulling gesture].

Shipping Forecast
Dan read the shipping forecast this morning.
Listen again, 1 minute in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

Australasia forecast
Weather system moving across most of New Zealand for Tuesday, so the umbrellas [umbrella gesture - see pic] probably coming in handy through the day.

Twitter
Today's top tweet:

WeeMcG
Wow. BBC weatherman appears to be bringing us the weather tonight via the medium of interpretive dance.

19th July

23:01 BBC Radio Bristol
I think I must've missed something last Sunday (computer issues prevented me from listening); Douglas Mounce was apologising for having been harsh, they'd had letters and phone calls to complain!

Dan: I was reeling for three days after that.

The Dan-isms then came so quickly I couldn't keep up.

That favourite friend by your side; the umbrella, will come in handy.

The showers;
Almost like you flick a switch and, bmm, they just fizzle away.

There was also something about circling Tuesday on the calendar and five minutes on the watch, but I missed those while trying to write the above.

Why isn't this show on the iPlayer, dammit?

More later, I hope.

Up All Night
If you're wondering, of the next three or four days, I'd circle Monday and say, 'yes, not a bad day'.

Maybe you've got the day off or the week off with the kids, you're wondering what to do; take them outside, you should be in fine shape.

Listen again, about 3h 28m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

12th July

Computer glitches at my end prevented me from listening to BBC Bristol and, as usual, it isn't available on the iPlayer.

BBC Radio 2
Fortunately the previous glitch with the iPlayer has been fixed.
We hear Dan was at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, helping people to learn about weather presenting and climate change.

The weather system that came through early yesterday, some of you might've heard it in the night, that cleared through, we had a few showers. Instead of it just moving away and bye-bye, off it goes, a piece of it has been left behind sitting to the west and it's just going to spin and spin for the next couple of days. And almost like, think of somebody that sits outside your house and lobs some snowballs at you every couple of days. And that's what it's going to do, it's going to lob some energy towards us.

Today will be one of those days where you go outside and you say, 'lovely bright skies' and you say, 'it's going to be a nice day' and you come home and the rain is just lashing.

Again it will be a lovely bright start, you peek out of the window and you'll go 'hmm, nice'; take the umbrella just in case.

Finally by Friday we can say, 'finally, go, leave, go, enough' and it might.

Listen again, about 1h 44m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

Up All Night
Dan was dispensing tornado safety advice and warning of triple digit temperatures in parts of the United States. I assume he was referring to the temperatures in Fahrenheit (yeah, I'm on metric patrol again); 110°C is considerably more uncomfortable than 110°F.

Listen again, about 3h 27m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

28th June

BBC Radio 2
If you've got the week off and you're sort of thinking, 'well, we might just take the kids to the seaside'; gosh, you'll be in for a fine-looking spell of weather.

Of course, Mr Corbett is OBVIOUSLY referring to children not of statutory school age. We all know it's frowned upon to take them out of school during term-time ;-)

Think of it like the heat of a pressure cooker, you build it and build it and keep it on the stove for a couple of days and finally it goes boom, the lid blows off.

Listen again, about 1h 44m in. Available for 7 days from broadcast.

27th June

00:28 BBC Radio 4
Little pieces of energy that help to generate the storms, almost like a pressure cooker, you pop the lid slightly and boom do the storms go with the heating of the day.

Almost the night where you want to open the windows and get some fresh air in, but you've got an 'ugh' sort of feel, have a fan running in the bedroom.

Shipping Forecast
Listen again, 1 minute in. Available for 7 days after broadcast.

14th June

BBC Radio 2
We hear that Dan wasn't out on the sun lounger yesterday, but sleeping:
Well, I was in-between night shifts and you're always like a zombie in the day. And actually all the neighbours were out, you could hear them sort of frolic about in the gardens having their picnics and barbecues and there I was, the sad person, 'uuurgh', cos you wake up for a couple of hours and then it's like, ugh, staggering around the house and I did go outside but [laughs] I was just useless. Oh well.

I don't think today will be the day when the neighbours will be outside with their sort of clinking [or clinging?] their glasses and having a lovely evening meal.

It's just like you turn on the gas stove in the morning and vvvm goes the blue flame.

Through the morning you'll see the cloud bubble up like bits of cauliflower going up in the day.

Tuesday's the drier day, so it might be the better day for the outside, you know, picnic again.

We're looking at some high pressure sitting out to the south-west and it's just sort of waving its finger at us saying 'hello'. And we're trying to coax it to come towards us because you always like high pressure, it gives us nice weather.

If you get a nice little ridge of high pressure, sort of sit it in place, put some press-pins on the back of it and say, 'sit there for a few weeks' or something and then, boom, we'll be all sorted for summer.

Listen again, about 1h 42m in. Available for seven days from broadcast.

21st May

Not quite sure what happened with the TBT today. Perhaps it hadn't been updated by the time I left for work this morning. At any rate, the only reason I knew Dan had been on today was because a little bird told me:

The weather on the Today programme is usually a very measured affair. But that all went out of the window after a shortage of forecasters meant weatherman Daniel Corbett had to sprint halfway across Television Centre to read the weather on the Today programme.

"I had to do a five or six minute walk in 40 seconds. I really sprinted," says Daniel.

"But I'd rather be there and breathy than miss it."

The people at the Today programme have kindly uploaded the clip in question.

It later got a mention on PM (but we already know Eddie Mair is a Dan-fan) with a little feature about how to talk when out of breath. Listen again, about 54 minutes in, available until 28th May.

Well, I thought his breathing was remarkably controlled. It says on his BBC bio that running is one of his hobbies, but I suspect he doesn't usually combine running with weather.

10:56 BBC News
The speckles of blue, like taking lumps of blue and going like that [flicking gesture], pfff, at the weather map.

Maybe you're going away for the bank holiday weekend, pack the kids in the back of the car [the accompanying gesture reminded me of the brolly-in-bag].

11.33 BBC News
Then they lose the heating of the day and, fmm [dropping gesture], the showers die away.

13:28 BBC One and BBC News
High pressure, almost like having a pot on the stove [see pic] and the bubbles boil up.

Our clumps of showers almost like taking lumps of paint and going, fmmm [with a rather slow flicking gesture], like that at the weather map.

The main energy with this weather system is going to ease north and as it does, think of it as a piece of blue plasticine you pull it apart, it stretches [gestures doing so], fizzles out.

Got two great screengrabs during this bit. Click on the links to see 'em:
If you are going to be outside you might want to be lapping on some sun lotion [touches hand] because the UV levels they will be high, but at lest that's probably better than standing there with umbrellas [umbrella gesture].

13:56 BBC News
Well how about a nice-looking bank holiday weekend? If you're saying, 'alright', then let's get to it.

It was forecast to be unseasonably cold in Aberdeen but it seems that no-one else has noticed, unlike last time. I'll get a screengrab at a later date.

17th May

BBC Radio Bristol
Because it's been a bit hit-and-miss as to whether this show is on the iPlayer (and it turns out it isn't), I listened live. The Dan-isms flowed so quickly I was struggling to keep up.

The low keeps on spinning around;
Almost like you put some glue on the back of it.

You just sort of look at it on the weather map and you say 'go away'.

Then there was a great 'final spin cycle on the washing machine' analogy that Douglas Mounce commented on.

At least we won't need double pegs [on the washing line] like last week.

BBC Radio 2
Unmissable due to the extremely high Dan-ism count:
I was just talking to somebody and we look at the weather map sometimes and before the weekend we had this low pressure and it was coming in and we thought, 'oh, two days, yeah, that'll be gone', and this thing has been like, you do your washing and you put it on the extended cycle and the low just sort of spins around - and it's still going.

If you get caught out in that wind you don't want to sit there with the picnic basket and say, 'ooh, this is a nice day'.

The low slowly spins and spins like you pull a string on a top and it goes wheeee! And after about five minutes it slowly starts to go blublubluh, it loses some if its oomph.

Some showers:
If you're caught beneath one you might say, 'heheh, yeah, Dan, what about that one?'

We were hoping for high pressure to just sort of zip in and say, 'ha ha, here I am!' and pull the deckchairs out.

The low will just sort of spin away and go, pll, bmm.

You want a nice lovely ridge of high pressure to come in and say, 'ha ha!', you know, it's picnic weather or something.

Listen again, about 1h 44m in. Available until 25th May.

Up All Night
Mention of this unknown 'inches' measurement again.

The winds easing down from this fairly broad area of low pressure that's just been spinning around like a washing machine on the final rinse cycle of sorts.

Listen again, about 3h 27m in. Available until 25th May.

16th May

00:28 BBC Radio 4
The area of low pressure isn't moving:
Almost like some sticky glue to the back of it.

It's also:
Like spinning a big turbine, it slows down after a couple of days.

Up All Night
5 inches of rain in China? 110°F in Death Valley? What are these strange units of measurement?

It's getting to that time of year in New Zealand when they start digging out the wet-weather gear and keep it quite handy.

It's still the same area of low pressure that's just spinning around just to the west of the British Isles, almost like a car that's just stuck in the mud and it just spins and spins for hours and hours.

By the time we go to Monday you maybe be thinking, 'come on, get rid of this area of low pressure'. Well, it's still going to be spinning around, almost like looking at a washing machine, bits of clothing just spinning around, the lumps of wet weather. That's what it's going to be like.

Listen again, about 3h 27m in. Available until 24th May

Shipping Forecast
Well, now all is forgiven for the previous inches/Fahrenheit error; he's on the Shipping Forecast!
Listen again, 1 minute in. Available until 24th May.

11th May

Dan was certainly on form today:

10:56 BBC News
It's one of those days where if you've had a kite sitting in the cupboard I think you'll pull it out today. Quite a breezy day across the southern parts of Britain. A good old wind and you'll probably be holding on to the hat as well [touches head].

The ridge of high pressure building down, it's almost like you pump up a bubble [pumping gesture], squeeze it down, the lines get closer together and we get the strong winds just working their way through. You'll certainly notice them as well, maybe just wandering along the clifftops towards the southern counties of England.

Even inland as well, maybe you're out in the park or something for that packed lunch, you'll certainly notice it [the wind].

11:58 BBC News
If you've been to the outside you've probably been like that [touches head] holding onto the hat.

12:56 BBC News
Something to bear in mind if you are maybe out and about, maybe walking on the clifftop through the afternoon; watch out for those strong winds.

Finally, Wednesday, fmm, here it comes, working its way in, that wet weather.

12:57 BBC Radio 4
Not sure I got this one verbatim, but it was something along the lines of:
The high pressure is still sitting across the British Isles, almost like it's got a suction cup to the back of it.

13:28 BBC One and BBC News
This one is really worth watching on the iPlayer, for the many great expressions that defy description - but be quick, it's only available until Tuesday lunchtime.

If you're to the outside it's a fine-looking day for kite-flying

Maybe you're out and about through the afternoon, holidaying perhaps.

We'll probably all be grabbing the umbrella by the time we go through the week [umbrella gesture - see pic].

13:56 BBC News
Am beginning to suspect Dan knows someone who is on holiday in Devon or Cornwall;
If you are out and about, maybe having a holiday in the South-West, or perhaps just out and about for that packed lunch, watch out for those strong winds.

Our ridge of high pressure continues to sit in place, almost like it's got a suction cup against it right there. And then notice how we get this weather system, spots of blue, the wet weather, that's trying to come in but it's just sort of flirting with the south coast.

Then Wednesday we finally sort of say to the high, 'just move a little bit' and it does.

BTW - the Sky box is working again. It miraculously fixed itself about five minutes after Dan's last broadcast yesterday.

1st May

BBC Radio Bristol
If you're wondering, outdoor plans, are they going to be washed out? Well actually, good news, you might be dusting off the barbecue.

I think people might at least wheel the deckchairs into the garden [Trevor laughs].

Listen again, about 58 minutes in. Available until 9th May.

BBC Radio Devon
After the forecast, Vic Morgan has a bit of a chat with Dan about The Met Office's recent prediction of a hot, dry summer:

Even the tag-line was to perhaps dust off the barbecues because it could be a bit more of a potential than wellies and macs every Saturday and Sunday.

Listen again, about 1h 49m in. Available until 9th May.

Unusually for me (night owl by nature) I was fast asleep for the entirety of this shift, so completely missed Dan on BBCi.

12th April

00:15 BBC Radio 4
It's slowly moving, like trying to heave a cement block out of the way, blocking the doorway.

11th April

Up All Night
We hear that a tropical storm in Australia is:
Almost like squeezing a sponge and all that moisture comes out.

In Budapest:
They probably had the picnic baskets out and everything.

Listen again, about 3h 27m in. Available until 19th April.

5th April

BBC Radio 2
There's about four or five weather systems between now and Easter Sunday that will stream their way in from the Atlantic so, instead of picnic baskets, it might be more likely just the umbrella just in case. There's a weather system that's going to come in, so I think, if anything, you sort of think, 'oh, gosh, rubbish!'.

Tuesday will be one of those days, a bit of a typical April shower-y short of day; it'll be a lovely bright start and then the cloud will bubble up and [was that a bubbling sound-effect there?!] get a bit bigger into the afternoon.

There are so many weather systems heading our way;
It's almost like you need a score-card by the end of the week, you're sort of ticking them off.

Last week;
Everyone probably had the deckchairs in the garden.

When asked if he was going to be on again tomorrow, there was quite an emphatic 'no'.

Listen again, about 1h 42m in. Available until Monday 13th April.

Yet another nightshift! No wonder people are beginning to suspect Dan is a vampire ;-)

26th March

10:56 BBC News
If you head to the outside you'll certainly want an umbrella or two.

I had the time to check Radio 4 at lunchtime (12:57) today. I tuned in online a good five minutes early, and all worked well until Dan was introduced (was it just my poor hearing, or was he introduced as 'Darren Corbett?') - at which point my internet connection went down, and returned just in time to hear 'that's the weather, for now'. Gah!
Checked the BBCi forecast online and didn't see Dan.

13:29 BBC One and BBC News
Notice how you've got the speckles of blue, almost like taking lumps of paint and going, fff [flicking/throwing gesture], like that.

Then it all changes, grab the warm coats, low pressure eases out of the way and it's almost like opening the floodgates, and then, vmmm [very energetic gesture - see pic], down it comes, the cold air, you can just watch it ooze down. Certainly the extra layers as we go to the course of Saturday.

Someone's been fairly quick off the mark; this one is already on YouTube:

Love the ending there, with Jane Hill's smile.

22nd March

Not even Dan was expecting to be on tonight.

BBC Radio 2
Janice Long: Well, you've been called in haven't you, Daniel?

Dan: I have.

Janice: I was going to say, didn't we have you last week? Here you are again.

Dan: I know, I was just sitting there having a quiet Sunday afternoon, there I was at home, and the phone rings. We always sort of know when a work colleague rings in the middle of the afternoon and it's like, 'ye-es, what do you want?'

Janice: You were sat there having a sweet sherry and the phone went and it was like 'get in now', was it that fast?

Dan: I had a few hours, to get myself an hour's kip and here I am.

We're slowly easing our little friend, the high pressure, that's just been sitting there for the past few days

Quite a wind as well, so probably hold onto your hats if you're out and about, a good day for flying the old kite.

It's one of those weeks where you almost have the weather systems lined up like cars at a car wash on a Saturday.

We all sort of might go, [sharp intake of breath] 'uuurgh, when's it coming back?'

Janice: So I get a bit more wear out of my winter clothes.

Dan: Yes, that old bikini might not be coming out for you this week.

We hear he chances of him being on tomorrow are slim;
At two in the afternoon, if the phone rings, I'll be sleeping.

Listen again, about 1h 43m in. Available for the next seven days.

19th March

BBC Radio Bristol
One of those days where you just want to say, "Well, Friday, Let's just have a packed lunch at the park.

Trevor Fry: A few people dusting off barbecues.

Dan: You never know and maybe those deckchairs going into the garden.

Listen again, about 58 minutes in. Available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio Devon
If you were out, maybe, or just sitting in the office thinking, 'gosh, I'd love to be out in the middle of the day for a packed lunch', I would do it tomorrow.

It's maybe even the deckchairs into the garden.

Listen again, about 1h 48m in. Available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2
Dan: You can just leave that light jacket at home and just wander outside to the park.

Janice Long: And it's all that maintenance before you put your shorts on.

Dan: Oh, I can't do that yet, I'd be scaring the neighbours, the skinny white legs, the poor neighbour would go mad.

A slightly greyish start, but we get beyond the rush hour and vmm, it's gone.

Maybe today was one of those days when you thought, 'it would be nice having a packed lunch', why don't you just head out today?

Saturday's going to be another fine day, you might be tempted to wheel a couple of deckchairs into the garden.

Do deckchairs have wheels?

Listen again, about 1h 45m in. Available for the next seven days.

Up All Night
On one side of Europe you can almost picture them in, say, Seville, Spain, pushing out the deckchairs and the loungers, enjoying twenty-four degrees and some sunshine.

Listen again, about 3h 29m in. Available for the next seven days.

18th March

I listened live to Dan on BBC Radios Bristol and Devon, but didn't make any notes, assuming they would both be available on the iPlayer.
They aren't.

BBC Radio 2
You head to the outside and you go, 'cor, another nice one'.

Listen again, about 1h 42m in. Available for the next seven days.

Up All Night
In parts of Spain, you can just imagine them now; they're out with their deckchairs, out with the beach towels, very very pleasant weather.

Listen again, about 3h 28m in. Available for the next seven days.

local radio

Quite a while back, I was alerted to the fact that the overnight forecaster on the Radio 2 shift gives a short forecast on BBC Radio Devon (also broadcast on BBC Radios Cornwall, Guernsey and Jersey) at around 11.50pm. At the time this information was received, the only way to listen to this show was live online. There was no listen again, so if I forgot to listen when Dan was on (which was most of the time, to be honest), that was it.

It was only this past week I thought to re-check the iPlayer - and lo, there was the late evening show - and Dan:

6th March - BBC Radio Devon
Maybe you are heading out for an evening meal and you think 'oh, I'll be fine' and just grab a light coat, no problems.

Some stronger winds so bear that in mind if you're out and about, maybe you're going for a walk along the cliff top or something or even if you are out and about maybe in the boat.

Vic Morgan (?): What I love about your forecasts is that we know what the weather's going to be, obviously, but you've also planned our weekend for us; we've got a boat trip in there, we've got an evening meal. I'm going to come and spend the weekend with you and your missus sometime, Daniel, I think.

Dan: There's no sitting about you know, you have to make use of the time.

11th March - BBC Radio Devon
If you're wondering about the weekend, maybe the friends are coming round or something.

Think of it like a roller coaster ride, it's always a good way to think of spring, we're on one of those top bits at the moment and you always have to bear in mind there always could be that little bit of a dip, you head down. And even as we get towards Easter there's still that risk for those colder blasts so you never want to put the warm clothes too far into the back of the cupboard.

Listen again on the iPlayer, about 1h 48m in. Available until 18th March.

12th March - BBC Radio Devon
Vic Morgan: We've had Daniel Corbett with us for the last two nights and, I tell you what, summer is here because of Daniel Corbett. You can have all the credit, Daniel - it's down to you, OK?

Dan laughs.

If you have outdoor plans, maybe you're thinking 'I wish I could be out in the garden this weekend', well your dream might come true.

If you're still wondering about that parka, it's still sitting on the coat hook, you can maybe finally stuff it to the back of the cupboard for a few days because I think some mild air is still going to stay with us

Vic: But that's the problem, though. Mentally you're still thinking, 'hang on a minute, it could be a bit sharp if I go out, so I'll put on a coat or a fleece or a jumper' -

Dan: And you get to the outside -

Vic: And you go, 'hwwww, gosh, I'm hot', either that or I'm having a hot flush. I'm not really sure which is which. But it is that time of the year when you just don't know really, but great, sounds fantastic, next week, it sounds lovely.

Dan: So, some nice weather for the outside, maybe just grab that light fleece or something and you'll be fine.

Vic: And daffodils are abounding and everything is looking good again.

Dan: Oh yeah, you'll probably see them popping out, smiles on their faces if they could smile and everything.

Listen again on the iPlayer, about 1h 48m in. Available until 19th March.

This made me wonder which other local radio stations feature a similar forecast.

There are 40 BBC local radio stations in England. Fortunately, several of them share a late evening show, so the task of searching through the available programmes on the iPlayer wasn't as daunting as it could have been.

I didn't listen to whole shows, just skimmed through in 3 or 4 minute intervals - which might explain why I only found Dan on one other station; BBC Radio Bristol:

11th March - BBC Radio Bristol
We've had a bit of a roller coaster ride up and down but we're on one of those heading up to the top bit on the roller coaster ride so to speak.

It will be grey, will be just 'uurgh' as you pull back the bedroom curtains, not a lovely bright blue sky day like we've seen.

Think of it like pulling a piece of string apart, you pull it apart and eventually it stretches and stretches and it sort of breaks.

Temperatures shouldn't be too bad, you won't be bundled up like the Abominable snowman with the layers.

Trevor Fry: You always paint a good picture, Daniel. Almost poetic it was.

Listen again on the iPlayer, about 58m in. Available until 18th March.

12th March - BBC Radio Bristol
A bit more cloud as well, so you won't be wheeling out the old telescope.

Just the odd risk for a shower Saturday morning, if you're out early, maybe dog-walking or something, or just out for a run or maybe you're having a good lie-in.

Listen again on the iPlayer, about 58m in. Available until 19th March.

Anyone ever heard a national forecaster on their local station?

12th March

BBC Radio 2
Don't faint; Janice asked Dan a question that was NOT about the weather! He seemed to be equally surprised and was lost for words.

And then that weather front fizzles, almost like you flick a switch, go 'chwww' and he just sort of disappears really.

Listen again, about 1h 42m in, available for the next seven days.

Up All Night
Cyclone Hamish:
Just went 'pth' and then just fizzled out.

Some of us might be saying, 'Spring, yeah, why not? Bring it on'.

Listen again, about 3h 30m in, available for the next seven days.

11th March

Hooray! The TBT has been updated and Dan is on tonight!

BBC Radio 2
Yet again, not much off-topic chat, but he still managed to slip a Dan-ism or two in for us;
Think of it [the patchy rain] like having a big long strip of plasticine, you pull it apart and you can finally get it down towards the southern parts of the UK and it's so thin you can't see it.

You can already sort of see if you're driving along the road, you're starting to see some of the daffodils just sort of popping their heads up and, 'yes, we're coming!'.

Listen again, about 1h 42m in, available for the next seven days.

6th March

Because the TBT is down (again), catching Dan is coming down to a matter of chance.

And so, I happened to listen to the midnight news on Radio 4 last night; Dan was on the weather at the end.

He also has a long chat about the world's weather on Up All Night (3h26m in) but, despite a brief search of the iPlayer and BBCi, I didn't find him elsewhere.

In case you didn't see the updates to the 4th March post, I've added a couple more links, including the mention of Dan on this week's Oddbox.

1st March

5Live again. Oh dear.

Weekend Breakfast
Listen again, available until Sunday 8th March.

30 minutes in:
You've got this weak little weather front ... staggering its way slowly south, but you think of it like a piece of blue plasticine, you pull it apart and before you know it, you can't even see it.

Some talk of snow for this coming week. Snow?!

2h 30 minutes in:
Phil Williams: Do you think she [co-presenter Rachel Burden] fancies it on the side? Do you think she wants to be a meteorologist?

Dan: I saw her sneaking a peek at these weather maps earlier this morning.

Rachel: I couldn't manage the cool, calm delivery of a Dan Corbett you see.

28th February

Ugh, 5Live.

Weekend Breakfast
Listen again, available until Saturday 7th March.

28 minutes in:
Maybe you're out early sort of peel back the curtains and you'll go, 'eww, gosh' [presenters giggle].

1h 33 minutes in:
It it Dan or Daniel?
I don't mind, I'm easy, how ever it comes off the tongue.

Eamonn Holmes
Listen again, available until Saturday 7th March.

36 minutes in:
You step to the outside and say, eeurgh, gosh, it's gonna be a yucky day [someone in the background repeats his 'eeurgh'].

1h 35 minutes in:
Further west you'll always keep that cloud, sort of hanging in like a sheet being thrown over the bed.

17th February

BBCi World Forecast
It's still the parkas and the snow-shovels for the south-eastern parts of Europe.

Look at this lump of colour, like I've taken some coloured paint and gone [throwing gesture - see pic], vff like that at the weather map.

BBC Radio 2
After instigating a short conversation about mobile phone chargers, it was on to the weather:

One of those days where you might just get a few little pitter-patters on the windscreen as you drive along.

We'll keep some of that cloud that's just sitting there, wiggling about, almost like a bowl of jelly on a plate sort of thing.

Apparently it's set to get colder at the start of next week:
Nothing sort of bone-chilling, sort of ring the bell now.

Nice little windscreen-wiper sound effect at the end there. Chww, chww.

Listen again on the iPlayer. 1h 42m in, available for the next seven days.

16th February

Yay! Dan's back!

21:46 BBCi World Forecast
Further west, say, for the UK, it's quiet; almost like having a bit of a break [points at watch] in the middle of a busy old football match.

Unfortunately, he didn't appear on the beta site doing all those world forecasts as I had expected; it was Chris Fawkes (who was doing the other overnight shift) on there when I last checked, just before 2am.

BBC Radio 2
It won't be the warm parkas, more than likely you can sort of just head outside with just the light jacket through the day. It's a dry day as well, but don't be expecting the sun to sort of be blazing in your eyes in the morning.

You don't have to worry about frost either, so no ice-scrapers out at all as you start the day.

Temperatures feeling like Monday, at least a bit more bearable than, you know, you step to the outside and you almost want to turn round and go back indoors as you start the morning.

Think of it almost like maybe you're watching a football match and you get to half time and there's just sort of a nice break from all that cold, biting cold, that we've had over the past couple of weeks.

I wonder if Mr. Corbett actually remained in the country during his fortnight off to experience that biting cold, or if he jetted off to warmer climes?

Listen again on the iPlayer. 1h 44m in, available for the next seven days.

29th January

22:03 BBCi World Forecast
Some bone-chilling air will start spreading west across much of Europe over the next couple of days, like taking a layer of treacle [gestures holding pot of treacle], you spill it on the plate [tips it up] and it just expands [makes expanding gesture]. That's what's going to happen.

Notice this weather system just sort of sitting there, he's saying, 'what's going on?' [shrugs - see pic]. Well, just think of it, this layer of treacle just expanding, the cold air, and that's why it's not moving through.

It's fine for Cape Town, good looking weather for the outside, maybe the deckchairs into the garden [deckchair gesture - yay!].

And we're finally saying goodbye to the wet weather for Tokyo [waves].

And Winnipeg sticks out like a blue sore thumb with temperatures well below freezing.

BBC Radio 2
Janice asks about the snow;
It's not changed its mind, it's not going the other way. It's almost like you have the floodgates of cold in Siberia and somebody just goes, 'OK, ready - one, two, three' - and, whoosh, they open the floodgates and phoom, here it comes.

By the later parts of the weekend I thing all of us if you're nipping out to the high street or something like that and if you sort of grab maybe a jumper and you say, 'ah I'll be fine' you'll be like like, woo hoo! The cold air will be working in and we'll start mentioning that s-word as well; snow.
Oh that s-word! I did wonder...

The cold air from the east and the weather system from the Atlantic almost sort of having a bit of a shoving match so to speak.

Further west you still have that weather system, he's sort of still loitering about.

Everyone will be sort of bundled up, hobbling round the high street like the abominable snowman, it's like 'ooooh'.

Listen again, just before 1h46m in, available for the next 7 days.

forecast forecast / 10th January

Dan was on 5Live this morning. Of course, this being the weekend, I wasn't awake to hear any of it live, so attempted to listen on the iPlayer. However, there seems to be something wrong with the iPlayer; playback is extremely slow on every 5Live programme I try to listen to. You know, slowed-down, deep voice kind of slow.

If it hadn't been for the presenter on Morning Reports announcing, 'Daniel Corbett joins me from the Weather Centre', (53m in) and his ever-reassuring sign off (just before 59m in) I wouldn't have known it was Dan. It's surprisingly difficult to understand what he's saying at half-speed.

No sign of him in this week's Radio Times, though. Perhaps he's on 5Live [shudder].

30th November

22:01 BBCi World Forecast
Hello there. A fairly large area of high pressure continues to keep most of Europe in somewhat of a deep freeze. Certainly the warm hats and mittens coming in handy.

A lump of white, some snow, accumulating snow for the Alps, so the skiers going, 'yeah!'

01:45 BBC Radio 2
Just one of those 'brrr' sort of days if you're just sort of out and about.

18th October / forecast forecast

Forgot to record weekend Breakfast just in case Dan was on. He was. Oops.
I didn't wake until almost ten this morning (making up for the past week - I've been burning the candle at both ends again lately) and just caught Dan on TV:

09:56 BBC News
Pushing my resolution not to comment on his clothing to its limits.

With a good old breeze, might be the day for the old kite-flying.

BBC Radio 1
Vernon questions Dan about his clothing. I don't listen to VK regularly, does he give everyone this much grief?

Describing a weak weather system to Vernon:
Think of it like this; you put two blokes next to each other, one's this big massive body builder, that's the one on one side, the other one is just this puny-looking fellow - which one would you rather get into a fight with?

If you have the kite tomorrow, you'll probably have it in your hand and, all of a sudden, it'll go wfff, it'll be gone.

At the end there was a bizarre conversation about Christmas. It seems we'll find out what that was all about next week*. I'm setting the Sky+ now.

Vernon: Dan, Loving your work, thank you very much. All the best. Dan Corbett, big thanks at BBC Weather Centre. A true gentleman. He's the kind of guy that would takes his shoes off before he came into your house.

Never seen much point in that, myself.

Listen again on the iPlayer - 23 minutes in, available for the next 7 days.

Answering my own question at the end of this post, it's looking like the answer is yes.

* By the way, there's no mention of Dan in this week's Radio Times. But at least we know he'll be on next Saturday.

14th October

BBCi World Forecast
This thing, like a big blue sausage, just bending its way in.

Buenos Aires and Denver both got a mention too.

BBC Radio 2
We hear that Dan has fixed his squeaky legs and that he might go for a walk in the park with the doggie on Thursday.

Listen again - 1h 40m in - available for the next 7 days.

13th October

BBCi World Forecast
Not the day for the deckchairs in Seville.

The umbrellas certainly in hand for Tokyo [umbrella gesture].

A 'big lump of colour' over the US;
It looks like it's just been [throwing gesture] filled up with some blue.

Then this lump of colour here, quite a weather system, it gets some moisture from the Gulf and really sort of starts to just go 'bleeeuuugh', [stretching gesture] expanding, as it works into the Ohio valley.

They'll be grabbing out the warm blankets across the Rockies.

BBC Radio 2
Some amusement caused by Dan's squeaky chair. Or was it his legs?
He promises to get it sorted for tomorrow.
Listen again - 1h 43m in - available for the next 7 days.

27th September

Because of the stupid way the weather is on at quarter past/quarter to the hour during Breakfast, the only forecast I caught on TV was this one:

09:56 BBC News
If you ever Google Dan's name, The Poetry of Dan Corbett is usually on the first page or so of results. Hand on heart, I don't think I've ever thought his forecasts poetic, until today:
Hello there. We've got a pretty good-looking day
shaping up, but a couple of things in the way,
some mist and fog is still to get away,
give it another couple of hours we'll clear it away
and it will give us a decent day.
But it has been a foggy start and maybe you've sort of heading out in the next couple of hours and it looks rather grey,
that's sort of the leftovers of that fog easing away.
Notice the strip of cloud to our north and to our west. One little weather front further south and east where we've had clearer skies overnight,
that's allowed the area of white,
the mist and fog to form.

Not sure if that's poetry, or prose - but, either way, surely elevates Dan to Shakespearean status.

10:31 BBCi UK Forecast
Hello there. For many of us today it might be one of those days where you're tempted to grab a picnic basket [holding gesture] or just push the deckchairs into the garden [will this be the last time this year we see the deckchair gesture? See pic].

Our weather front further north, a little strip of blue like a little piece of blue string.

How about Sunday? Sunday's a good day, sunny spells, a fine day for the outside. If you do have plans for the outside, maybe the neighbours coming round, I think it should be fine for many of us.

There was a BBCi World forecast and a different BBCi UK forecast online just before 1pm, both rather low in Dan-isms. However, we did get the guaranteed smile-raiser 'Buenos Aires' on BBCi World.

And Dan's appearance on Vernon Kay is MUST listen. Hilarious.
Available on the BBC iPlayer until 4th October - 25 minutes in.
I don't know how to record sound from the radio, so a transcript will have to do:

Vernon: Daniel, how did your career path turn out? How did you end up at BBC Weather Centre? What did you do wrong?
Dan: [laughs] I started doing weather in America.
Vernon: [seems incredulous] Oh! Did you really?!
Dan: Chasing tornadoes in Tornado Alley.
Vernon: Love that! The weather in America is very in-depth. No disrespect to Euro weather, but they love giving it a bit of showbiz, don't they, the weather? Very flamboyant with their hands [anyone else spot the irony here?].
Dan: You really get some really nasty weather there, the tornadoes, I've seen some really nasty ones, hurricanes and some big old snowstorms as well. A bit of everything in the span of just a season.
Vernon: What channel were you working on?
Dan: Different ones, I worked from New York to Texas to Arizona.
Vernon: Did you have one of those stick mics with a cube on that had, like, 'WKBR'?!
Dan: Yes.
Vernon: Oh, love that!
Dan: One particular place I worked, we'd do the weather, then we'd get halfway through the weather and it's like, 'right, we're gonna take a break now', and we'd have a sponsor that bought the radar for our television station, so in the middle of the weather we'd have a break, 'lets go to our sponsor now' and then it'd be some old man from a bank, no disrespect, and he'd sort of say, [puts on voice, mumbles for a bit]. And you come back and OK, here's the rest of the weather. They probably would've switched off by then. Very, very different.
Vernon: It is different in America, that's all I'm going to say. Not to offend our American listeners. But America - that's a good t-shirt - 'America; it's different'.
Dan: [laughs] It certainly is. If you have a second, one time I was working at a station in Texas, the first couple of weeks I was working at the station they got some 'phone calls from the viewers, 'oh, we like the new weatherman, very nice'. But one lady phoned in and said, 'the weatherman is very very nice but how long has it been since his stroke?' And they said, 'stroke? What do you mean?', 'well, the man's voice', because, you know, obviously I don't have a Texas accent, 'the way he speaks, he's obviously got that speech impediment, he doesn't speak with a Texas twang, he must've had a stroke'.
Vernon: That's hilarious. When you were in Texas did you ever go to a hoe-down?
Dan: Er, oh yes.
Vernon: How was that?
Dan: Very different. You have to do all the line-dancing and the two-stepping.
Vernon: Tell me this, and I hope the answer's yes; to impress your boss did you wear a cowboy hat and some... cowboy boots
Dan: Yeah, I did.
Vernon: I love that! And that neck-tie thing?
Dan: Er, I looked like a right prat but, yes, I did.

After the forecast;
Vernon: What you doing tonight, Daniel?
Dan: Sadly, going to bed early so I can be up in the morning to do the weather. [Aha! So he's on tomorrow too, must set they Sky+!]
Vernon: Hey Daniel, have you ever been to a duck-do?
Dan: Er, a what?
Vernon: A duck-do.
Dan: What's that?
Vernon: You know, a duck-do. You must've been to a duck-do before.
Dan: Erm, not sure.
Vernon: Yeah, a duck-do.
Dan: Go on.
Vernon: Tell me, when you were young, did you ever go to a duck-do?
Dan: Er, I'm not sure [record begins to play].

After the record Vernon came across as being a bit sore that Dan wasn't lured into the duck-do trap.
So, is Vernon Kay the new Janice Long?

16th September

Outrageous! The TBT got my hopes up today after Dan's appearance yesterday, but he hasn't been on BBC News and I didn't see him on BBCi either.
Still, the day is not over - perhaps he'll be on later (fingers crossed).

OK, outrage over. Calm is restored; Dan is on after all.

19:29 BBC News
Today's been one of those days where you've been looking for the sunshine and you'll probably be still out there in the garden looking for it [prolonged upward look].

Not, again, the night for the old telescope.

19:57 BBC News
After a piece about the restoration of the Cerne Abbas Giant:
Joanna Gosling: Right, I was going to say something very rude but I won't. Dan, save us with the weather.

Dan: Just smile, that's all.

It's just like having a big sponge, think of it as a weather system; you slowly squeeze out all the bits and pieces of moisture [same sponge-squeezing gesture as below] and eventually there's no moisture left.

Then Thursday; a big blue sausage, another weather system, works into the north and west.

20:12 BBCi UK Forecast
Hello there. Well, today's been one of those days where you probably could have left the sunglasses at home.

Slowly this thing sort of eases away. It's like you have a sponge; you just squeeze it, getting the last few bits and pieces of moisture out [excellent sponge-squeezing gesture, the brilliance of which is only partially captured in the pic there]

Don't be surprised if you sort of see the cloud and go [pulls face], 'uurgh, gosh'.

20:28 BBC News
Oooh - an Autumnwatch forecast!
Same sponge Dan-ism and enthusiastic squeezing gesture as before.

21:26 BBC News
Our weather system has been slowly moving, almost like it's had a few cement blocks stuck to it [looks down and shuffles along].

It almost looks like a piece of Swiss cheese. What's left of the area of cloud and moisture eases away. What's left of that weather system; bye bye, off you go [small wave]. High pressure's trying to come in but this fella's a little faster to the punch on Thursday, this weather front. So what he does, he just eases in.

Then into Friday, the high pressure, just almost think of it like you pump up a balloon [pumping gesture], the bubble just expands.

22:34 BBC One
A good one, this - considering it was on BBC One. Don't you think his best forecasts are generally on BBC News?
Oh, and I'm loving the new sponge Dan-ism. Available on the iPlayer until 10.30pm tomorrow.

Hello there. Fair bit of stubborn low cloud today, a lingering weather system; almost like having a car sitting in neutral, you're spinning the car and just revving away, but eventually our weather will shift into gear over the next couple of days.

And then our weather system, think of it like having a sponge; you squeeze it a few times [gestures doing so] but there's still some left-over moisture.

Then our ridge of high pressure starts to build in. Think of it like you just pump it with air and voom, here it comes.

Dan elsewhere on the iPlayer; Radio 4's PM - (around 57 minutes in) and at the end of Newsnight (around 47 minutes in), both available until 23rd September.

5th August

22:50 BBCi World Forecast
It's one of those days, it's probably the day for the ice-cream man or just sitting by the beach.

Dallas getting a wet old Wednesday. Elsewhere, lumps of blue, fmm, [flicking gesture at map] being sort of thrown at the map, just sort of showers and storms that erupt. Notice Denver's temperature, you just say, 'thirty', you go, 'yeah, so what?' [shrugs, looking unimpressed - see pic].

Denver gets into that cooler air. They've seen temperatures well into the thirties for quite a few days and then finally, twenty, twenty-one so, ahh, feeling better for them.

At the end of this forecast we are directed to BBC Weather via 'BBC Red Button'. That's also on today's TBT changes too. Is this the new name for BBCi? If so, no-one seems to have told the people in charge of BBC interactive services; I just pressed the red button and at the bottom of the main menu it reads 'BBCi index'.
If I wasn't confused before, I certainly am now.

I'm sticking with calling it BBCi; it's easier to type and I can't be bothered to rename that category. A rose by any other name...

01:47 BBC Radio 2
Apparently it was very muggy yesterday;
Oh gosh, it was one of those days where you sort of put your hands outside and just go like that [insert your own gesture; this is radio] ... part the air. Excuse me, coming through!

We're just in this very very humid, ugh, sort of air.

It's a damp sort of yeuch sort of morning.

A dry day, do you fancy one? ... Friday, it's not looking too bad. Still could be a few showers but just better, at least a day you can mark on the calendar and say, 'ah, that's the fine day', maybe a picnic day.

Shocking lack of chat again. Oh well, maybe next time.

4th August

22:08 BBCi World Forecast
Hello there. It's been another day for the old sun hats across the south-western parts of Europe.

Look at the finishing number in Madrid; in the sunshine, forty-one. the old fan will be going in the bedroom there [fan gesture].

And some heavier downpours, lumps of blue, like [throwing gesture] being thrown at the map across parts of western Russia.

Grab a jumper or two in Buenos Aires [yay!], even Santiago, slightly cool but some bright skies.

What's left of [tropical storm] Edouard, moves into the land, loses its energy from the water and then it, pfft, just fizzles out.

01:50 BBC Radio 2
Technical problems sadly prevented a much anticipated chat with Janice, but there were a couple of gems in the forecast:
We've got some wet weather on the way, probably getting the gremlins in the lines.

One of those days across the southern parts of Britain, if you go out to a duck pond or something and see all the ducks with smiles on their faces, it'll be one of those sorts of days.

A little bit cooler; I don't think it'll be bikini weather.

5th May

BBCi World Forecast
Hello there. It looks like the shorts and the sunglasses will be coming out across a good part of Europe over the next few days. A lovely ridge of high pressure dominating, and for many spots maybe even the deckchairs and the barbecues into the garden [I think it was the barbecue-pushing gesture rather than the deckchair placing one, but I could be wrong - it's a subtle difference - see pic].

Look at the numbers for Tuesday for, say, parts of Iberia. It'll definitely be a swimming day over much of Spain.

Could see a few showers to Cape Town; grab the old brolly here.

Buenos Aires: tick!

For much of the US it's quiet on the coast, but then look at this; lumps of blue, like going, fff[short, sharp flicking paintbrush gesture], with a paintbrush but, as they start to get some energy with the weather system coming in from the west, just look a them on Tuesday and you go, 'yeah, OK, so', but... then these things just go, vmmm.

BBC Radio 2
We hear Dan was 'just sort of puddling about in the garden' in yesterday's warm, sunny weather,
Put the shorts on, scared the neighbours and they closed all the curtains when they saw my skinny, white legs.

It's gonna be one of those days where you just want to sneak out (if you're going back to work) in the middle of the day and have a packed lunch in the park.

I think, overall, the rest of the week's looking pretty good and I think by the end of it you might be out with your bikini, you never know

Shame he's not on tomorrow, I do enjoy his chats with Janice Long.

Radio 1

Dan was on Vernon Kay's Radio 1 show this morning - and it's well worth a listen.

Vernon asks Dan which is his favourite weather symbol.
When did Vernon last see BBC weather? Way back.
I think the sunshine's probably the best, which some of us might actually see.

Anyone from Birmingham, south could be thinking, 'well, what shall we do this afternoon?' I prefer the deckchairs in the garden.

Here's a little fact for you; the warmest it should be, has ever been for this time of year in April is 29.4 and that was way back in 1949 in London.

So for some of us it could be a decent day and you'll say, 'yeah, that's wonderful' - take advantage of it.

Some very cracking looking weather for this afternoon for southern parts of Britain.

Vernon asks Dan if he has any hobbies and we hear he likes running (which we already knew) then asks about the weather for next week, because it's his birthday. The news is not good.
If you want we can maybe push a few levers and some buttons and see what we can do. I'd keep your raincoat handy.

Listen again, available for the next seven days, about 25 minutes in.

Thanks to my good friend, Angel, over at the Matt Taylor Fanblog; if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known to check Radio 1.

10th April

BBCi World Forecast
A couple of different storm systems working in and you'd almost think I'd taken a can of blue paint [see pic - let's call this the 'holding' gesture] and just gone, brfff [throwing gesture], like that across parts of France.

Also, the umbrellas in hand for parts of the British Isles.

They'll be grabbing the umbrellas into Rome.

Singapore, those typical tropical downpours just going, brmm [makes kind of an 'erupting' gesture], bubbling up.

BBC Radio 2
Janice Long was asking her listeners what they'd like to find in the bottom of their cereal packets instead of a little toy (do they still do that these days?). She asked Dan and, after Janice had told him she'd like to find a teleporter (?!) in the bottom of her cereal box, he said he'd like to not have to sit in London traffic. It seems his road rage extends to shaking a fist at anyone who cuts him up. It's hard to imagine Dan getting cross.

So, if you've just seen the showers and were caught out with your umbrella, without it today, just stick it in the bag, it'll come in handy for the next couple of days as still some showers about, they're just sort of bending their way across the British Isles. Think of a picture of a big, blue octopus, just sort of spiralling its arms across the British Isles and just think of bands of rain like its arms.

9th April

BBCi World Forecast
Hello there. It looks like the winter coats can finally get pushed into the back of the cupboard across western parts of Europe [see pic].

Look at this, like taking a lump of blue paint [gestures doing so] and you go, 'bleeeuuurgh' [throws 'paint' at map] right at Iberia.

Quite wet as well for parts of Japan. Tokyo seeing that; they're standing with the umbrellas for the course of Friday.

Buenos Aires: tick!
Denver: tick! tick!

And the most reassuring 'that's the weather, for now' I've ever heard at the end there.

BBC Radio 2
It seems Janice's show has moved down to London and there was some chat about them only being a few miles away from each other, so she should pop over to TV Centre for a cup of tea,
You could present the weather if you want... you'll do a better job than me.

Hmm, I think NOT.

It looks like we'll see the return of the deckchair gesture soon;
You might even put your deckchairs in your garden before long.

We might finally be able to sort of take that big, warm parka that we probably had wrapped around our backs last weekend, stuff it into the back of the cupboard.

If you're heading out today, just grab the umbrella.

When you go outside in the afternoon it'll just feel a little bit like, 'aaah, yeah; that feels like Spring,' instead of like last weekend when it was like, euuurrgh, it was freezing cold.

We also hear he's not one for doing too much gardening - and that he'll be on again tomorrow! Yay!

Five Live

Why? Why did I do it? When will I ever learn?
After promising myself never to listen to Five Live ever again, I caved in and listened.

I feel like I've had my brain sucked out through a tiny straw; I don't expect such drivel from the BBC.

Dan's talent is wasted on Five Live. The Dan-isms (good night for a fire, extra blankets on the bed, warm coat) lost their impact sandwiched between the inane chat and 'debate'.

Still, I caught him on the webcam this time.

But never again.
Truly.

2nd March

BBCi World Forecast
Hello there. It looks like it'll be the winter coats and maybe even the snow shovels [gestures holding snow shovel - see pic] across north-west parts of Europe.

It will be changing as that cold air starts to plunge south over the course of the next few days, like taking a layer of treacle to the north-west and it just oozes down [places 'lump' of treacle over the UK and drags it down over France].

Santiago, some fine-looking weather for the outside, a packed lunch day, you never know.

Bit of a surprise that the TBT was correct and Dan was actually on today (5th day in a row). Yesterday too; being on the overnight shift after having done 5 Live so early the day before.

BBC Radio 2
Fortunately, the Dan-isms made up for the lack of chat:

Dig out that warm parka from the back of the cupboard.

You might need the ice scraper maybe even the snow shovel.

One of those days when you just sort of bundle up and maybe even grab the mittens.

29th February

As you might have read in the comments, Dan was on Radio 5 Live again today.

I have to admit I did listen-in this morning at around 06:55, just to see if Dan actually was on, after yesterday's confusion. Turned out that the presenter with the nails-on-blackboard voice wasn't there today, which made it much less painful to listen to.
Anyway, I listened online and happened to see Dan on the studio webcam. My brain doesn't fully engage until 8.30am and it didn't even occur to me to get a screengrab.

Interesting snippet about the maps and the stopwatch there. And as for the comment about forecaster of the year, we all know he's the best forecaster of all time, never mind just of the year.
We don't need such trivial accolades to validate Dan's talents.

Although it would be nice.