On 7th December we made some improvements to the Weather landing page (the page you come to when first visiting the site) and the location pages.
We made the 'Find a Forecast' box more prominent on the landing page, and provided a new map giving a snapshot of the weather across the UK alongside a written overview of the day's weather.
On the location pages, the 5-day forecast is now the default option and time is displayed vertically to make it easier to view the weather trend over the coming hours or days.
Why have you made these changes?
The weather website was relaunched in February 2009 when we changed the site structure as well as the design to focus on presenting the forecast as clearly as possible and to increase the speed and frequency with which we could update it.
The new layout of the five day forecast.
Since February we continued to make improvements behind the scenes to make the site quicker to load and more reliable. We also continued to move content to the new site, such as the Monthly Outlook. The latest improvements are visibly more noticeable than others we've made since February.
These are part of our continuing effort to make the site clearer and easier to use, whether you want a quick snapshot of the current forecast or want more detailed information about the weather conditions.
As we said then, we are always looking at ways to improve the site and since February we have been listening to your feedback. Based on what we heard we are now making these improvements to the site.
Where have the Summary/UV Pollen and Pollution/Sunrise and Sunset times gone?
The written summary, UV/Pollen/Pollution, and Sunrise and Sunset information are now available when viewing the detailed forecast for each day in the 5 Day Forecast.
I used to use the large map to view other areas, including the Atlantic pressure charts. Have these now been removed?
No, all of the maps are still available on the site. To view a local map, use the 'Find a Forecast' box to search for your local forecast and this page will still include maps underneath the 5 day forecast as well as the option to view the Atlantic charts by changing the map view to 'Atlantic'.
Why are there temperatures on the small UK map when you first come to the site, but not on the larger map module on each location page?
We are currently developing the larger map module to add location data such as temperature and wind speed. This will be available next year.
I have set a Weather homepage. How can I see the new landing page?
If you have set a Weather homepage you will not be able to see the new landing page. If you would like to see the landing page you must remove your homepage setting in My Weather and then click on Home in the navigation bar. If you would like to use the new landing page, you can still save up to six favourite locations in My Weather.
As we said in February, we will continue to move content over from the old site and develop new ways to deliver the content you want when you want it.