I love the BBC shipping forecast. If I'm near a radio at the correct time I find that its rhythm and calm enunciation never fail to relax me. I also love the fact that the weather forecast for the sea is broadcast four times every single day over one of the country's most popular radio stations, despite the fact that 99% of the people listening have probably only ever been to sea on a cruise liner. Despite this I'm pretty sure there would be rioting in the streets if the shipping forecast were to be removed.
To my ears 90% of the shipping forecast sounds like garbage:
As per usual I plan on using the internet to strip away any and all mystery from my life. Firstly the sea is split up into different regions:
Dogger is probably the best region name.
The day's forecast begins "And now the Shipping Forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at xx:xx today."
We then hear the gale warnings (e.g. There are warnings of gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, and Fair Isle), and then the air pressures in various regions are described (e.g. Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700 tomorrow), then with that massively important data out of the way we do the general area forecasts
Humber, Thames. Southeast veering southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later. Thundery showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
These take the form of a list of region names followed by a wind direction and then the windspeed (measured on the Beaufort scale). Finally for each region the visibility is stated (Good, Moderate, Poor, Fog).
There are many more tricky details:
*the word force is only used if the wind hits a 12 on the Beaufort scale, so 'gale force 8' is wrong and 'gale 8' must be used
*The last broadcast of the Shipping Forecast at 0048 each day is traditionally preceded by the playing of the musical piece Sailing By, a mellow string arrangement by Ronald Binge
*The forecast has a maximum length of 350 words.
*Change in wind direction is indicated by veering (clockwise change) or backing (anti-clockwise change).
*The shipping forecast should be read at 'diction speed' so listeners can copy the whole thing down if they do so desire
And many, many more little regulations, customs and anachronisms.
I seriously love the shipping forecast.
To my ears 90% of the shipping forecast sounds like garbage:
THE GENERAL SYNOPSIS AT MIDDAY HIGH 40 MILES WEST OF SOLE 1041 EXPECTED SOUTH SHANNON 1038 BY MIDDAY TOMORROW. LOW DENMARK STRAIT 992 EXPECTED OSLO 992 BY SAME TIME
THE AREA FORECASTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS
VIKING NORTHWESTERLY 5 OR 6 INCREASING 6 TO GALE 8, PERHAPS SEVERE GALE 9 LATER. ROUGH OR VERY ROUGH. RAIN THEN SHOWERS. MODERATE OR GOOD
NORTH UTSIRE SOUTH UTSIRE WEST OR SOUTHWEST 4 OR 5 VEERING NORTHWEST 5 TO 7, PERHAPS GALE 8 LATER. ROUGH OR VERY ROUGH. RAIN THEN SHOWERS. MODERATE OR GOODAs per usual I plan on using the internet to strip away any and all mystery from my life. Firstly the sea is split up into different regions:
Dogger is probably the best region name.
The day's forecast begins "And now the Shipping Forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at xx:xx today."
We then hear the gale warnings (e.g. There are warnings of gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, and Fair Isle), and then the air pressures in various regions are described (e.g. Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700 tomorrow), then with that massively important data out of the way we do the general area forecasts
Humber, Thames. Southeast veering southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later. Thundery showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
These take the form of a list of region names followed by a wind direction and then the windspeed (measured on the Beaufort scale). Finally for each region the visibility is stated (Good, Moderate, Poor, Fog).
There are many more tricky details:
*the word force is only used if the wind hits a 12 on the Beaufort scale, so 'gale force 8' is wrong and 'gale 8' must be used
*The last broadcast of the Shipping Forecast at 0048 each day is traditionally preceded by the playing of the musical piece Sailing By, a mellow string arrangement by Ronald Binge
*The forecast has a maximum length of 350 words.
*Change in wind direction is indicated by veering (clockwise change) or backing (anti-clockwise change).
*The shipping forecast should be read at 'diction speed' so listeners can copy the whole thing down if they do so desire
And many, many more little regulations, customs and anachronisms.
I seriously love the shipping forecast.
Labels: bbc, radio4, shippingforecast
