that's the weather, for now

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.

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

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.

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.

Listen again - available for the next seven days. 1h 41m in.

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 standard 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!

Listen again - available for the next seven days. 1h 45m in.

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.

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.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

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.

Radio 5 Live

Times are approximate; I listened to some of it live but it a certain presenter's voice is like nails down a blackboard to my ears, so used the 'listen again' feature to skip through as much of it as possible.

Morning Reports (05:30-ish)
At the end the presenter started to talk over the 'that's the weather, for now'.
You know how that irritates me.
Strike 1.

Breakfast
At 06:30-ish Dan says he wasn't woken by the overnight earthquake. Me neither, how disappointing.

At 07:30-ish Nicky Campbell called him 'Danny' at the end of the weather.
Strike 2

Dan was asked his opinion on tectonic plates at 08:00-ish and ended up spending more time talking about that than the weather, which ended up being the shortest forecast I've ever heard in my life.

At 08:30 we hear Dan doesn't wear a wig;
I just put my hair in the spin-dryer in the morning and that's it.

Friday is,
'almost like a weather sandwich'

Victoria Derbyshire started to talk over the 'that's the weather, for now' at the end of the 09:30-ish forecast.
Strike 3.

So it's highly unlikely I'll listen if he's on this shift again. My brain can't cope with the constant stream of twaddle that is Radio 5 Live. Not even for Dan. Even I have my limits.

23rd January

See if you can spot today's theme...

10:56 BBC News 24
Eleven for Southampton as you maybe head to the outside for a packed-lunch or maybe just grabbing a sandwich.

There'll be a few little heavier bursts on it [the weather front] before it just goes pff [dropping gesture] and dies by the end of the night, like pulling a piece of blue plasticine [stretching gesture] and boom, there it goes. But behind it the colder air. See the speckles of white? Just like a layer of treacle.

We lose this cloud slowly, what's left of that weather front. But it's like, open the floodgates, whoosh, down comes the cold air.

It's still very mild after those cool blasts. It's like up [raises hands up] and down [lowers them], roller coaster ride.

11:29 BBC News 24
Eleven for London; seven or eight is typical this time of year, so it;s just one of those days where you just go to the outside and it's like, phew, a different feel.

11:56 BBC News 24
Well, as far as the weather's concerned, like a roller coaster ride this week; warm today, cold tomorrow and mild after that.

So the weather's like a roller coaster ride really [wave-like roller coaster gesture].

I do try to gloss over his rare bloopers, but...
That's the weather [Dan suddenly vanishes], oops, that's the weather for now.

12:57 BBC Radio Four
Hello there. Our weather over the next few days is a bit of a roller coaster ride.

It'll be a day for the parkas for some of us.

13:28 BBC One
I think some of us could be digging out the warm coats tomorrow. Some big changes in our weather. The weather this week is almost like a roller coaster ride; mild today, mild and cloudy, tomorrow it'll be on the other end [roller coaster gesture], a cool blast working our way.

Notice this speckly area of cloud, like a layer of porridge.

Don't remember seeing those 'feels like' graphics before (see pic).

13:35 BBC News 24
Hello there. Some of us might be needing the wet-weather gear this afternoon but I don't think you'll be needing that big, thick warm coat, but grab it tomorrow.

BBC Radio 2

We hear Dan's cooking Christmas dinner again and hopes not to burn it.

None of this step to the outside and you go, 'eeuw gosh' and you run back inside for the warm coat.

It won't be the old sleigh on the top of the roof with the lovely bed of snow on the roof.

Listen again - available for the next seven days (1h 43m in).

BBC Radio 2

We hear that, as last year, Dan isn't completely organised for Christmas yet, but he has found the time to do a spot of baking for his colleagues; mince pies!

I think you're definitely going to need that warm coat. Just keep it handy, the mittens the scarf, everything. You're all going to look like the abominable snowman if you're heading outside.

You'll head out in the morning, and probably you're used to the drill by now; pull out the old ice-scraper, scrape off the car.

Just, you know, bundle up.

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

BBC Radio 2

After Dan's amusing story about wrestling with an umbrella at a funeral:
Well, we're still going to be using the umbrella, believe it or not, even if you can't get it open, like me.

And Sunday, the low, almost like taking a dartboard and spin it round like a car getting stuck in the mud, it'll just sit there.

So it's certainly not a weekend for that lovely long stroll in the park.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

As much as I love seeing Dan on TV, I really look forward to his chats with Janice Long.

He starts off by enthusiastically relating a tale about how to deliberately annoy the sound engineers - shocking!

So if you've been out and if you were thinking 'well, I'm going to start wearing my warm coat', haha -wait again.

Not really feeling that bad at all, if you have a day out maybe a packed lunch day or a trip to the park, it'll be quite nice.

After some 'oohing and aahing' at fireworks, that's it, the end. It's quality not quantity I suppose, and listening to it did shake me out of the bad mood I've been in all week.

Listen again - 1h 15 mins in - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

Janice starts off by moaning about the rain in Birmingham, to which Dan's advice is to 'go outside and do a bit of a rain dance, it'll go away in a day or so'

She swiftly moves on to her previous complaint about the Ullapool incident.
Janice: You had me unpacking my waterproofs the other week.

Dan: Oh you went up north didn't you?

Janice: Yes and it did nothing but rain.

Dan: No! Oh!

Janice: And I was going, "Daniel! He told me..." and I went home and I took my waterproofs out...

Dan: You were probably putting some four-letter words next to my name there weren't you? [puts on posh voice] Oh dear!

Dan then attempts to account for it by talking of weather systems and;

You know there's something I have to tell you, you know, we don't always get it right.

Moving on to the weather;

Friday's a nice day too. You might be outside in the park, you never know.

Janice gets tangled up in her headphones and Dan says it's very easy to get caught up in the mass of cables and wires in the weather studio;
I just sort of get tangled up like an octopus.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

As expected, Dan reveals to Janice that he's off on holiday (to the States) for the next couple of weeks.

Onto the weather;
We've had drips and drabs of rain over the past few days, it's been like spitting in the wind, really, the flow off the Atlantic. Then we've finally got this weather system that's really got its act together, like you sort of pump up a balloon and sort of vvvvh! and all of a sudden it's like this big lump of rain.

And then the weather front just sort of wiggles just a little bit more and then it just sort of fizzles... after that, it's just like you've pulled a plug on a light and it just goes, poomp!

Well, here's hoping he has decent weather for his trip (hope he's not going too near the 'tropical troublemaker' he was talking about in last night's BBCi World forecast) and has a good rest, ready to return fully recharged and put the smiles back on our faces.

BBC Radio 2

This one is essential listening. Truly.

It's almost like if you ever go into the garden in the middle of the summer and you have the soaker hose and you just sort of turn it on a little few drips and bits come out.

But nothing to sort of really shake a stick at and say, 'aha, there's the weather front'.

But here's the part you cannot miss; Dan doing a pirate impression.
It was International Talk Like a Pirate Day yesterday (although Janice called it 'pirate speak day'). Janice tells Dan he should have done his forecasts talking like a pirate. He needed very little encouragement to start!

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 4

Mr. George and I had only last week discussed how lovely it would be to hear Dan's dulcet tones on the shipping forecast. Then, on Thursday morning, Mr. George found himself awake at some ungodly hour (05:20), turned on the radio and managed to capture this for posterity:

Thanks to Emalyse for her technical advice, Mr. George for the recording and huge thanks to the spider that woke him.

BBC Radio 2

It was Angela who e-mailed me to report Dan's appearance on Janice Long in the early hours of Thursday morning. The 'Listen Again' is a real godsend, but I'd just like to shake my fist at whoever removed the skip forwards buttons. Dan wasn't on until an hour and seventeen minutes in.
Still, it was worth it.

Janice: What have you been up to?
Dan: Oh a bit of hand waving, a bit of this a bit of that, you know.
Janice: Hand waving?
Dan: [laughs] Oh well, that's what I call it - weather presenting.

Discussing what to do in the upcoming period of fine, sunny weather, Janice says she'll find an excuse to do something that involves sitting in the garden;

Dan: That's my favourite trick... when the weather is actually nice, my trick is the hammock. My wife says 'we've got lots of things to do in the garden' and I set up the hammock in the back and I say, 'I'm just going to test it' and, 'ooh this is really comfortable'. Three hours later I'm asleep and she's really cross at me... none of the jobs are done.

BBC Radio 2

In a discussion about Christmas presents (and why not? It's only five months away) Dan reveals he always wanted a white Christmas. Something weather-related, naturally!

It's one of those days where you can just get to the outside and go for a walk in the park and maybe even just have a packed lunch, because you know what the summer's been like, it's been bleuurgh, a bit yucky.

Janice asked about the weather for her weekend at Guilfest;
Janice: So we won't be strapping the canoe onto the car?

Dan: No, but ring up Noah before you leave, just in case [indistinguishable, something about the Ark].

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

The argument for Dan as Weather God weakens when the man himself admits:
I was just trying to wave my hands around and keep the rain away but it didn't work, you know.

Dan explains he was at Wimbledon for the last three days, but I suppose we didn't get to see him at the weekend because there was so much tennis to get through (which only serves to increase my prejudice against the sport).

It's really funny because people were looking at me in a really strange way; I was on the top of Henman Hill for a good part of the week and I was running around waving, trying to keep the rain away but it just wasn't working.

Instead of crash, bang and wallop weather like we had on Monday, it's drier for Tuesday. There is some cloud but if you're heading to the outside through the course of the day I would just leave the umbrella at home.

It gets a bit sort of mucky as we head towards the weekend perhaps.

There will be blibs and blobs of wet weather here and there.

And he's on again tomorrow. Yay!

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

01:15 01:45 BBC Radio 2

Is this the new time-slot for this forecast? No; usual time - see comments!

After a discussion about his in-laws' new freezer;

It's been perfect weather, if any of you have been in the garden, you've probably had nice, ice-cold drinks, you've probably used a lot of ice over the past few days. And I think you're going to as well over the next few. That big ridge of high pressure that's been bringing us the very, very lovely, sunny days is still sitting to the north of Scotland, but it's doing a bit of a funny thing, as it sort of sits there and more and more warm air comes around it and works in over the chilly North Sea, and that brings in low cloud. And we've got that tonight, anyone out there with a telescope in the last couple of hours and you'll really be having some trouble tonight, it's a bit of a cloudy-ish sort of night.

And that big ridge of high pressure that just been sitting there like a lump of cement is finally going to get a bit of a nudge and move away.

At the mention of the forecast rain for Monday;

Janice: so all those people will be packing their cagoules now!

Dan: Oh no, it won't be that bad. Just a bit of rain for the garden. I've got some plants in my garden that are like this, they're like uuuuuuhhhhhh [can't you just see him doing that hunched 'wilting' gesture here?!].

Brace yourselves for some disappointing news; he's setting off on holiday over the bank holiday weekend.
Probably explains why he's not in next week's Radio Times then, Angela.

Don't worry; I've got a couple of things up my sleeve to keep you all entertained and help fend off those withdrawal symptoms (Jane!).

BBC Radio 2

It's a long time since we last had an edition of Janice Long's 'chat show', but we had one this morning.

We discover that Dan brings in snacks from home to last him through the night. Not in Tupperware though, in a plastic bag. We have to hope that it's a recycled bag; global warming and all that. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

We also hear about a discussion he's had with colleagues about what they do after working a night shift:
There are some of us who are just, boom, straight to bed, that's it, lights out, but there are a couple that will go home and they will have big meals... how do they do that?
I think Dan is in the 'straight to bed' group there.

The discussion moves to trains;
Sometimes we have to go down to Met Office headquarters and... we catch the train that leaves at nine from London.
We?! As in, Dan plus colleagues? Picture that!
Anyone know the collective noun for broadcast meteorologists? ;-)

And then on to the forecast;
The weather is sometimes like a roller-coaster ride and we're on one of those high bits right now going up to the top of it, you know?

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

In the southern parts of Britain yesterday, you were probably in the garden, probably had the barbecue out, eighteen degrees; it was lovely.

The same ridge of high pressure, just sort of plastered to the weather map, like someone's taken some crazy glue [did I hear that right?] and just stuck it there.

One weak weather system skirted across yesterday; that's what brought some of the cloud, say, for north-western parts of England, parts of Scotland. He's gone, goodbye to him.

And temperatures, you know, sixteen, seventeen, maybe an eighteen; eleven and twelve is typical for this time of year, so we're cheating with the temperatures, but don't tell anyone.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

So, he deserted us online (no BBCi World Forecast) but, fortunately, he found the time for Janice Long.

For many places there could be just a quick covering of snow and everyone might just open their curtains and go, '[gasps] Oh, gosh!'

That big warm parka might finally get to be put back in the cupboard and it's certainly going to come in handy and maybe the ice-scraper this morning.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

Introduced by Janice Long as 'Dan, Dan the weatherman', he then admits to having made a little snowman this week.

We can finally put the big parkas back in the cupboard.

Like taking a duvet and putting it on the end of the bed, it sort of warms everything.

He has the weekend off, apparently.
:-(

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2 - or not

Err...

Janice Long: Is there anyone at the Weather Centre? No. OK, well, let's have this [plays jingle].

Wot no Dan.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

Janice Long: It's wet isn't it?

Dan: I was looking earlier, I'm starting to grow webs on my fingers.

You probably got a nice warm coat for Christmas. You probably haven't worn it yet.

Referring to the amount of weather systems heading our way;
Have you ever been to the car-wash and all the cars are lined up, sort of waiting to go in? It's just like that. Imagine the big long line of cars, one after the other. That's what it's like with the weather.
It certainly is busy, like we're putting numbers on them at the Weather Centre.

Not much chat either side of the forecast today.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

As usual with Janice Long, the forecast turns into a bit of a chat show.
We discover what Dan did on New Year's Eve and on Christmas Day, hear what time he arrived for tonight's shift and learn that the BBC studios aren't as soundproof as you'd think.

Janice asks him about snow and the conversation turns towards skiing.
The system that came through here, well we've had a hundred in the past four days [Janice laughs], but, like, one of them has come through here and instead of just going vmmm! to Scandinavia it's gone vmmm! vmmm! and now it's going to the Alps and people are just clapping their hands over there now. And as the air hits the mountains it rises and, voila!

You're thinking of that nice warm parka you got for Christmas, you won't be wearing that today.

And then another weather system waiting at the end of the platform, he'll slide in for Friday.

While discussing the mixed wet/dry weather of late, Dan comments, 'it keeps the skin moist, I suppose'.

Afterwards they have another chat about skiing and Janice prattles on about earthquake-detecting snakes in China and Dan reveals that, sadly, he isn't working tomorrow.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

As usual, Dan is hardly allowed to get a word in edgeways; Janice Long asks him a question then barely gives him time to answer before she starts prattling on over the top of him.

We get to hear that Dan doesn't mind brussels sprouts and that he's, 'not a mean sort' and, 'take(s) it as it comes'.

On to the forecast and 'it's going to be the galoshes and, yeah - take some care on the roads'.
Watch out up north as 'another little weather system skips in to the north east'.

After the forecast, Janice comments on the mild weather we've been having lately, but doesn't want it to turn too cold as she wouldn't want a fire in the grate when Father Christmas is visiting.
'No', adds Dan, 'he burns his bum'.

Unfortunately, when Janice asks him if he's off tomorrow, having done his weekend stint, the answer is affirmative. It seems, however, that he's not going Christmas shopping,

If you ever see the mad people on Christmas Eve, the mad person dashing round with a crazed look on their face - that's me.

He claims to be 'all organised with other things' but not with Christmas presents.

Listen again - available for the next seven days.

BBC Radio 2

Dan's BBC2 forecast on Janice Long's show is well worth a listen, not only for the wonderful Dan-isms in the forecast, but also for the conversation either side of it.

Janice starts by recognising Dan by his cough. They then chat about Father Christmas, leading Dan nicely into his forecast, which begins with;

If Father Christmas was riding around tonight, his sleigh would be just jetting around the British Isles - we've really got some wind going on tonight.

Wednesday's going to be the driest day of the week, just sort of mark it with a big red marker.

It's almost like you need a scorecard, you know, with all these weather systems.

After the forecast (which ends rather abruptly) Janice asks Dan's opinion on whether she'd need her brolly for her day out in London today. This turns into a chat about packing suitcases and we get to hear who packs the suitcases in the Corbett household.

Listen again (available for the next seven days) - it's 1h 41mins in and lasts for about 5 minutes.