The Met Office provide automatic feeds to BBC servers at different times of the day every day of the year, including Christmas and New Year.

The main data files arrive by 8pm each evening with forecast data for next 24 hours, the following day and for four days after that. The files arrive as CSV (Comma Separated Values) files which BBC Servers interpret and then convert to the graphical representation you see on the site. These files are uploaded to the website by 10pm.

It is important to note that the Met Office's NEC computers based at Exeter automatically produce the data. This data is not quality controlled before reaching the website - i.e. there is no manual intervention to check the data before being issued to the BBC.

This is different to the forecasts seen on TV. A Broadcast Meteorologist monitors, and where appropriate changes, the data used on television forecasts to illustrate the most accurate forecast as issued by the Chief Meteorologist in Exeter.

If you have any comments or views on the data supplied by the Met Office you can find contact details on the Met Office feedback page.