(9 March 2009 2:30 pm)

MUMBAI: BBC has announced that the new-look BBC 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 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. 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.

BBC Online controller Seetha Kumar says, "The new weather site features some key developments that users of BBC 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 BBC Weather Centre does over 100 broadcasts a day, presented by a weather team of 22, on TV, radio, online and the red button.

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