Met Office

Met Office
★★★★★
www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/beta
Ease of use ★★★★★   Features ★★★★★   Information ★★★★   Presentation ★★★★★ 

What we liked:
The Met Office site has long been in need of an overhaul, and this beta version brings it bang up to date. It now has a more sophisticated design that lets you drag and drop tools around the homepage so you can display it exactly as you want it. The homepage shows any current weather warnings, as well as a five-day forecast, UK weather map, news and weather predictions for forthcoming outdoor events. You can customise the page to show the weather in your area and, unlike the old site, it will show your precise location rather than the nearest weather station. 

The Weather tab lets you view the UK forecast and current observations of weather conditions, and you can fly down into any part of the country using the zoomable map. There’s a choice of 11 different map views, including weather, actual temperature, feels-like temperature, rainfall, surface pressure, wind, cloud cover and more. You can view a five-day forecast or a more detailed 30-day overview. 

How it can be improved:
The beta site is still very much a work in progress, so some elements, such as the climate-change guide and news, are missing. To access these, you’ll need to switch back to the old version. This won’t be a problem once the site officially launches.

Our verdict:
The Met Office site has always provided detailed weather information, and with a more accessible design and handy new tools, it’s our clear favourite.