100 Years of the Shipping Forecast

The Shipping Forecast is something that we landlubbers have probably caught a few times by accident when listening to the radio. But what does any of it mean? To mark the fact that it's 100 years old (on radio) this year, I thought I'd do a little blogpost on it and why it's important enough to have lasted for century. 

The Shipping Forecast is essentially a bespoke weather report for people using the seas around the UK. It is produced by the Met Office and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. There are currently four broadcasts per day at 0048, 0520, 1201 and 1754 (UK local) times. 

To create the forecast, the waters around the British Isles are divided into 31 sea areas, also known as weather areas. The forecast begins by listing areas with gale warnings, followed by a general synopsis of pressure areas, then a forecast for each individual sea area covering wind speed and direction, precipitation, and visibility. Extended forecasts at 0048 and 0520 include information from coastal weather stations and inshore waters.

On January 1st 1924, the forecast was first broadcast on BBC radio and at the time was called 'weather shipping'. It ws broadcast by the Air Ministry transmitter in London and reaching up to 2,400 miles in the west and 2,000 miles in the south. However, the Shipping Forecast itself is half a century older. 

In October 1859, the steam clipper Royal Charter was wrecked in a strong storm off Anglesey AND 450 people lost their lives. In response to this loss, Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy, the first professional weather forecaster, captain of HMS Beagle and founder of the Met Office, introduced a warning service for shipping in February 1861, using telegraph communications. This remained the UK Met Office's primary responsibility for some time afterward. In 1911, the Met Office began issuing marine weather forecasts which included gale and storm warnings via radio transmission for areas around Great Britain. It became a public broadcast service in 1924. The sea areas are as follows:

A few have changed their names over the years: In 1955 meteorologists from countries bordering the North Sea met and recommended that the area Heligoland be renamed German Bight, to conform with the name generally used by other countries. They also suggested that a new area, Fisher, be split off from the north-eastern half of Dogger; that a new area, Viking, be split off from the northern half of Forties; and that the area Iceland be renamed Southeast Iceland to clarify its position. After international consultation, these were adopted in 1956. Then in August 1984, to conform with common North Sea area boundaries agreed upon by neighbouring countries, the areas North Utsire and South Utsire were created, and - in 2002 - the area Finisterre was renamed FitzRoy to avoid confusion with a different area called Finisterre used by the Spanish meteorological service. 

The Shipping Forecast follows a very strict format. It has a limit of 350 words — except for the 0048 broadcast, where it is increased to 380 to accommodate Trafalgar's inclusion. Forecast times are spelled out as digits on the 24-hour clock, for example 'two-three-double-O', and barometric pressures are pronounced as whole numbers, for example 'a thousand and five'. With regard to the timing of weather events, the words Imminent, Soon and Later are used and are tightly defined. Imminent means within 6 hours, Soon means within 6 to 12 hours and Later means within 12 to 24 hours. 

The basic order of the forecast is: Gale warnings in force (if any) General synopsis Area forecasts: wind direction/speed, weather, visibility, ship icing if any Coastal weather stations (00:48 and 05:20 only): wind direction/speed, precipitation if any, visibility, pressure Inshore waters (00:48 and 05:20 only): wind direction/speed, weather, visibility Introduction, gale warnings, and general synopsis The forecast begins with "And now the Shipping Forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at xxxx today." This format is followed quite strictly, although some continuity announcers read out the actual date of issue as opposed to the word "today". This is followed by gale warnings (winds of force 8 or more on the Beaufort scale), if any (e.g. "There are warnings of gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, and Fair Isle"). This sometimes follows the opposite format (e.g., "There are warnings of gales in all areas except Biscay, Trafalgar and FitzRoy"). The general synopsis follows, giving the position, pressure (in millibars) and track of pressure areas (e.g., "Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700 tomorrow"). With the information provided in the Shipping Forecast it is possible to compile a pressure chart for the coasts of northwestern Europe. 

The Shipping Forecast has become a part of the fabric of everyday British life. It's been spoofed and sampled and used in music. It's even been likened to poetry. Zeb Soanes, a regular Shipping Forecast reader, described it thus: 

'The forecast gives the wind direction and force, atmospheric pressure, visibility and the state of the sea. It is a nightly litany with a rhythm and indefinable poetry that have made it popular with millions of people who never have cause to put to sea and have little idea what it actually means; a reminder that whilst you're tucked-up safely under the bedclothes, far out over the waves it's a wilder and more dangerous picture, one that captures the imagination and leads it into uncharted waters whilst you sleep. Dependable, reassuring and never hurried, in these especially uncertain times The Shipping Forecast is a still small voice of calm across the airwaves.' 

Happy birthday Shipping Forecast.