
Image credit: Lindsay Bennett
Weather observers are the people whose job it is to collect data from rain gauges and thermometers. Weather information is also collected by satellites and radar.

Image credit: Rob Mulvaney/ British Antarctic Survey
We know about what the weather was doing a long time ago by collecting data from the air trapped in ancient ice.

Image credit: Ray Jefferson
Weather forecasters use observations from all over the Earth and some of the world’s biggest supercomputers to work out what the weather will do next. There are different forecasts for different people – supermarkets need to know whether people will be buying ice cream or warming soup; farmers need to know when to harvest crops; and the people organising big sports events need to know whether the weather will stop play.
Weather presenters tell us about the weather on TV, social media and radio.


Images credit: Kirsty McCabe
Emergency Services such as the police, fire brigade and emergency doctors, as well as mountain rescue, coastguard and the people who plough snow or grit our roads are all very important when there is bad weather.


Storm chasers look at the weather forecast to see when a powerful storm is expected, then try and get into the right place to be able to take great photos of the weather.
Image Credit Lindsay Bennett