Weather

One of the most important aspects of your holiday in North Devon or Somerset will be the weather - and our weather is well know for its vagaries. It can be sunny in Woolacombe, wet in Lynmouth and sometimes even snowing on Exmoor. Current weather observations for Watchet

Signpost in the snow

Contrary to popular belief, the Met Office which is based in Exeter do good job at forecasting but do not have the time to explain any small pockets of varying weather in this region: it may be that where you are staying it is wet but a few miles away folk could be basking in sunshine all day! So do telephone any Attraction you may wish to visit, for the weather there may be quite different from what you are experiencing. With the sea, wind and the large land masses of Exmoor and Dartmoor there can be many types of weather throughout the region in just one day.

Mists in the combes of Exmoor

For a more pinpointed general weather picture, why not call the Met Office on 08700-900-0100 for a two-day forecast free of charge. Alternatively, you can talk to a weather forecaster and this will cost £17.00, or you can listen to a pre-recorded massage at 60p per minute on 09014-722-054

Local Weather 1
Meteorological Office Weathercall
Somerset. Tel 09068 505305
Devon and Cornwall. Tel 09068 505304

Marine forecast
South West Area. Tel 09068 505358

Local radio
Fine rain is known as missle

Meteorlogical Office Weathercall  telephone numbers:

• Somerset: 0891-505305
• Devon: 0891-505304

Marine forecast telephone numbers:

• Somerset: 0891-505359
• Devon: 0891-505358

• Inshore forecast from BBC (investigate Lands End to St. David's Head)
• Inshore forecast from YBW (investigate Lands End to Colwyn Bay)
• Weather Forecast: 3 day Met. Office weather forecast covering Devon & Cornwall
• Weather Forecast : 5 day forecast by the BBC

Met Office - Weather and climate - Devon and Cornwall

BBC - Weather Centre - Provides UK and Worldwide weather services and maps for temperature, wind, satellite, lighting, pressure and radar

The Weather Channel

Get the local weather forecast

e xmoor can be very wet! Situated close to the coast of North Devon and Somerset, the high moor causes the warm, damp air from the Atlantic to rise, cool and drop its moisture. Annual precipitation i.e. rain, snow, sleet, on the Chains (487m, 1600 ft) is over 2000 mm compared with 800mm to the east of the moor. Generally the months between May and September are much drier than the rest of the year. Some of this rain soaks into the ground, a small proportion is trapped in reservoirs, about a quarter evaporates into the atmosphere and the rest, known as run-off, flows into the rivers and streams and so back to the sea. There are about (483 km) 300 miles of named rivers on Exmoor.

Over centuries people and animals have adapted to the wet climate of the moor. Cattle and sheep have been bred to withstand the cold and wet of an Exmoor winter. The hardy Exmoor pony, which has lived on the high moorland longer than humans, has developed a special coat. An undercoat of short wool type hair is topped by a longer greasy coat. This repels the rain which simply runs off. Whorls of hair strategically placed help to direct water away from sensitive parts of the body. The two layered coat retains body heat while the snow lies on the pony’s back for days. Heavy falls of snow regularly used to block the lanes for weeks, cutting off people living in isolated farms and villages and making daily work on the land slow and difficult. sheep had to be rescued from the drifts and occasionally children weren’t able to get to school for a month or more! These days well-stocked freezers, radio weather reports and supply helicopters, which can provide an emergency link if needed, make it easier to manage. However, global warming has meant that such winters are becoming rare.

Meteorological Office Weathercall Somerset. Tel 09068 505305

Devon and Cornwall. Tel 09068 505304

Marine forecast South West Area. Tel 09068 505358

ITV local weather www.itvlocal.com/westcountry/weather/

On the home page of this website are weather summary widgets to give you an idea at a glance of the weather locally.

• Met Office rain radar animation of the current rainfall pattern
• Text version of the Exmoor weather forecast including latest observations from the Liscombe weather station

Meteorological Office Weathercall

• Somerset. Tel 09068 505305
• Devon and Cornwall. Tel 09068 505304

Marine forecast

• South West Area. Tel 09068 505358

Contributed by: Lucy Pinknall