photo: Steph Ball
careers
Storm clouds gather on 16th November 2013
Our Wonderful Weather In one day in mid-November we had a day of glorious sunshine followed by a hail storm and the talk on Social Media was of the freak weather... indeed we experienced a fabulously hot October and first half of November which saw people swimming in the sea until the storm that brought a cooler chill to the air. We thought we would speak to one of our Weather Forecasters, Steph Ball, FRMetS, to find out a bit more about the role, and about our unique weather here on the Rock. What is your role and how long have you been forecasting Gibraltar’s weather? My role at Met Office Gibraltar is as one of a team of Weather Forecasters, perhaps most importantly producing weather forecasts for the airport and local waters, also issuing any warnings of severe weather for Gibraltar. We also have a team of observers who keep us on the ball with all the changes in the weather as they happen. I’ve been forecasting Gibraltar’s weather now for almost five years, before that I was based at the BBC Weather Centre in London where some of your UK readers might recognise my name from my time broadcasting the national weather
on BBC Radio 5 Live or one of their local BBC Radio stations. Myself and my colleagues can now be heard broadcasting the weekend weather for Gibraltar every Friday afternoon on Radio Gibraltar.
be a similar answer — that it was an interest in the more exciting weather types — particularly snow or thunderstorms. From an early age I’d always loved thunderstorms and watching lightning, but my work colleagues will tell you that since I’ve been in Gibraltar I’ve developed a Tell us how you got interested new love affair with the Levanter in Meteorology? I think if you were to ask most too, and I’m often seen on the roof forecasters how they got interested of the Tower snapping away with in Meteorology, it would probably my camera.
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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2013
Gibraltar’s weather is quite unique, mainly because of the Rock itself and where it sits in the Strait with high mountains to the north and south
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What is special about Gibraltar’s weather? Gibraltar ’s weather is quite unique, mainly because of the Rock itself and where it sits in the Strait with high mountains to the north and south. Compared to our neighbours, we rarely get so hot in the summer though we do suffer the humidity, which we certainly felt this summer. In winter at least though, it means that we stay milder with frosts being extremely rare. As we know, the Rock also leads to some unusual winds, and I mean what could be more iconic than the Rock, but the Levanter itself — I think many a tourist are left in awe when they see it and the way it constantly changes shape.
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