Some may think it’s one of those jobs which anyone might turn their hand to, but the difficulties of weather forecasting are hugely underrated.

After all, there aren’t many jobs where you’re expected to predict the future. Economists are also required to make forecasts, but at least they have some control over the system they are foretelling. When it comes to weather, meteorologists have no such influence.

The best weather forecasting is a mixture of science, geography, and experience.

During the month of  August 2017, our forecast room meteorologists had some visitors. The trainee meteorologists at that time were sitting in on some shifts to get a feel for what real-time forecasting is like day to day. This was part of their training, which began in January 2017, and finished early in 2018.