Resort predicts its own weather

Blackpool is producing its own weather reports presented by clowns, zookeepers and lifeguards after concerns about national predictions.

Blackpool Council is putting the reports together, with some of the resort's "unusual characters" presenting them.

The "webcast" will be broadcast daily on the internet.

The council said that the resort has a "microclimate" which is "overlooked" by regional forecasts.

Sea Life Centre divers and contortionists are among those lined up for the weather presenting.

"We can often be overlooked by generic regional forecasts, which means we can miss out on potential revenue from tourists"

Dr Rob MacKenzie, of the Department of Environmental Science at Lancaster University, said: "People may feel that weather forecasts are less accurate than they actually are because quite dramatic differences can be caused by very small changes in the landscape.

"For instance, Blackpool is on the coast on a flat plain whereas Lancashire as a whole is heavily influenced by the fact that the land rises to the Pennines which means there is more rain, while in Blackpool it may be sunny."

Blackpool Council said a survey commissioned by Visit Blackpool showed that 48% of people trust a local weather forecast, compared to 33% who follow national reports.

Helen France, executive director of regeneration and tourism at Blackpool Council, said: "Places like Blackpool, which has its own microclimate, are often sunny when places close by are overcast.

"We can often be overlooked by generic regional forecasts, which means we can miss out on potential revenue from tourists."

Figures released last month showed that the number of UK residents taking a break in Blackpool last year fell by 26%.

The Met Office, which provides the forecasts for the main television and radio stations, said that weather forecasting was "not an exact science".

"We forecast to the best of our ability on any given day," a spokesman said.

"Our four-day forecast is now as accurate as our one-day forecasts were 20 years ago."

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Blackpool Council
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites