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The new-look ´óÏó´«Ã½ Weather website has launched with a new design, faster and simpler functionality and better personalisation.

Much of the new look has been born out of audience feedback that highlighted the changes and improvements people wanted. A Beta version of the new site has been live since September 2008 and has received a very positive response.

The design of the site has been brightened up so it's simpler to access the information. The visual design now follows the broadcast design, so the colour of the pages reflect the weather forecast for each location. The website is also now wider and the flatter structure of the site will make it easier to navigate.

Forecast information is now organised by location rather than by type of data so everything about a particular location is now on one page. "Today" is now covered by a three-hourly breakdown to show more clearly how the weather will change over the 24 hours to come. The frequency with which forecasts from the Met Office are received has also increased.

Local weather forecasts are now more detailed, with new graphics that show at a glance how the weather is forecast to change throughout the day.

The video content with the latest regional weather forecasts is more accessible too as it has been embedded into the pages but is still presented by the same ´óÏó´«Ã½ Broadcast Meteorologists, and updated throughout the day.

It is now also far simpler to go straight to the weather forecast you want – the audience can choose up to six personalised locations for their forecasts.

In addition, changes to the technology that drive the website have been made which will mean that the service can be supported and maintained far more effectively, 24 hours a day.

The infrastructure is now much improved and processes are streamlined meaning more and faster updates throughout the day.

Pete Clifton, Head of Editorial Development, Multi-Media Journalism said: "This is a fantastic transformation of our ´óÏó´«Ã½ Weather site. It really does justice to the tremendous range of data, video, mapping and expertise we have, and I'm certain our weather-loving audience will find it an engaging, user-friendly experience, come rain or shine."

Seetha Kumar, Controller ´óÏó´«Ã½ Online, said: "The new weather site features some key developments that users of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Online can expect to see much more of in the coming year, such as simpler navigation, increased levels of personalisation and greater use of embedded video. The look and feel of the site has been greatly influenced by audience feedback, and we hope that all users will appreciate the improvements."

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Weather Centre is a fully multi-media operation with over 100 broadcasts a day, presented by a weather team of 22, on TV, radio, online and the red button.

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