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WHATEVER
THE
WEATHER!
We’ve received many letters from readers
wanting to know a bit more about Derek
Brockway after reading his new book
Whatever the Weather. We met up with
him and got to find out a little more.
Congratulations on your book
Whatever the Weather.
How’s that going?
It’s going really well thanks. I did a
book tour in the run up to Christmas
last year including a signing at Barry
Library. Loads of people came along
which was really nice. Everyone was
friendly and there were a few faces
from the past as well.
What made you decide to write this
book?
I was approached by Mairwen Prys
Jones from Gomer books in Llandysul
who said I should write a book. Jamie
Owen from BBC Wales has written a
few books himself and he encouraged
me as well. So after some persuasion I
agreed.
Where were you born and where
did you grow up?
I was born in Barry in October 1967
and grew up in Hillary Rise. I was born
one month premature and spent the
first few weeks of my life in an
incubator.
What can you remember about
those early days growing up in
Barry as a boy?
The 1970’s were a great time to grow
up. We didn’t have much money but
most importantly mum and dad were
always there for us. There were lots of
other children on the estate to play
with. I was a bit of a tinker as a boy and
could be mischievous. I am told the
neighbours would run inside when they
saw me in the street!
What do you think of Barry today?
It’s really changing. Some things have
improved for the better but others
have not. It’s sad to see some shops at
the top of Holton Road and Main Street
boarded up and the loss of the Knap
Pool. It will be a great shame too if the
cinema goes after all these years. There
is potential for Barry Waterfront to have
a marina and restaurants and not just
more houses and flats. I am glad the old
town hall has finally been refurbished.
The new library is great too.
My favourite part of town these days
is High Street. I love the individual
shops and cafes; there is a real buzz
and sense of community here.
Barry is ideally positioned to explore
the rest of the Vale. I sometimes go
for a meal in Cowbridge or a walk on
Penarth Pier and occasionally have a
picnic in Porthkerry Park.
What made you move to Miskin?
I treated myself to a new car in 1998
and it was vandalised outside my house
in Lundy Park on the first night, so after
that incident I decided to move. I
looked at a few houses in Cardiff but
decided on Miskin. It’s a lovely village,
close to work and not too far from
Barry via the M4 or through country
lanes.
When I retire perhaps I will move back
to Barry. I’d like a house on Marine
Drive, the views are great and I could
see the weather coming up the Bristol
Channel.
When did the interest in the
weather first appear?
It all began during the long hot summer
of 1976 when I was a boy aged 8.
There was a heat-wave and drought and
I became fascinated by the endless days
of sunshine with temperatures soaring
into the 30’s Celsius. Our water was
turned off for part of the day and we
had to share baths to save water. I used
to drive my parents bonkers by channel
hopping to catch the latest forecast on
TV.
Where did you go to school,
university and where did you do
further studies?
I went to Holton Road School, then
Barry Boys’ Comprehensive. I later
went to Pontypridd College and then
Reading College to study science. The
most important subjects to be a
meteorologist are maths and physics so
that you can understand how the
atmosphere works.
Tell us about your career history?
My first job was for the DSS in Barry
working briefly as a clerical assistant in
the summer of 1986. I then transferred
into the Met Office and was posted to
Cardiff Weather Centre where I worked
as a junior helping the forecasters and
plotting charts. I have also worked at
Cardiff Airport and Birmingham Airport
making weather reports for Air Traffic
Control and also spent eight months on
the Falklands Islands – here I worked
closely with the RAF keeping an eye on
the weather at the airfield.
Sometimes I would take a trip in a
helicopter and the RAF would drop me
off on some remote island where I
would stay for a couple of days with a
Falkland island family. I took loads of
photos and the wildlife was wonderful
with lots of penguins and seals etc.
After promotion my first job as a
forecaster was at Birmingham Weather
Centre in 1995. I then took a job in
London working with Sian Lloyd and it
was here that I had my first taste of
television broadcasting for GMTV on a
Sunday morning. I spent a year in
London and then worked in Bracknell
for a few months at the Met Office
Headquarters. In September 1997 I
started working for BBC Wales as their
broadcast meteorologist. During my
time at the BBC I have made other
programmes such as Derek’s Welsh
Weather, Weatherman Walking plus
Jamie and Derek’s Welsh Weekends.
I never thought that I would end up
making programmes for TV and radio.
It has been a great privilege and I am
very fortunate to be given such
wonderful opportunities. A second
series of Weatherman Walking is due to
be shown this spring on BBC Wales. I
am currently working on another book
to go with the series too.
How did you start working as a
weatherman for the BBC?
It was a case of being in the right place
at the right time, plus being Welsh, a
trained meteorologist and being a local
boy helped too.
We asked Derek
what changes he’s
observed in the
weather over the
years and the
potential impact
of climate change
on both our planet
and ourselves.
Earth’s climate constantly changes
and has altered many times over
millions of years due to a variety of
natural causes like major volcanic
eruptions, changes in the earth’s
orbit and output from the sun.
Over the last 800,000 years there have
been swings in temperature from cold
to warm. 20,000 years ago Wales was
covered by thick ice, while during the
Middle Ages it was warm enough to
grow grapes. The problem now is that
global temperatures are rising quickly
and at a rate never experienced in
recent history. Although part of this
may be due to natural causes, it is
thought that most of the warming,
especially since the second half of the
20th century, is down to human activity
such as the burning of fossil fuels i.e.
coal, gas and oil.
Since the last Ice Age, the
concentration of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere has remained nearly
constant. However, since the Industrial
Revolution, humans have been
pumping out huge quantities of
greenhouse gases, most notably carbon
dioxide or CO2. Levels of CO2 are now
much higher and increasing much
faster than at any time in the last
650,000 years. Over the last 100 years,
the Earth has warmed by approximately
0.75°C but about 0.4°C of this warming
has happened since the 1970’s so
something is definitely going on.
Records are tumbling all the time and
there is less snow in winter than when
I was a boy. The seasons seem to be all
over the place too with spring arriving
earlier and autumn later. How much
our climate will change depends upon
our future greenhouse gas emissions.
I was working in Bracknell and one day
I came home to Barry and popped into
the Cardiff Weather Centre. I was told
that BBC Wales were looking for a new
weather forecaster as Helen Willetts
was moving on. So I did a quick
audition, mentioned a few welsh towns
and the rest as they say is history.
Summers in Wales are predicted to become drier and hotter with more heat-waves and an increased risk of drought. Winters will become milder and wetter with more days of heavy rain and flooding. Snowfall will continue to decrease. More storms are likely too with stronger winds and severe gales. By sitting back and doing nothing climate change will only get worse and some fear it could spin out of control with disastrous consequences.
Climate change is the biggest threat to face our civilisation in modern times. Only by acting together can we tackle the problem and save the planet for future generations to enjoy.
What weather related phenomena
would you love to witness?
I would like to go chasing Tornadoes in
America and see one close up but not
too close! A tornado is defined as a
violently rotating column of air
extending from a thunderstorm to the
ground. The most violent tornadoes are
capable of tremendous destruction with
wind speeds of 250 mph or more.
Tornadoes are more common than you
might think in the UK. On average we
can expect 33 every year, but in 1982
there were 152! In fact there are more
tornadoes per square mile in Britain
than in the USA - but thankfully they
are not as destructive. A tornado which
forms over the sea is called a
waterspout.
If you weren’t a weatherman, what
profession would you have chosen?
If I wasn’t a weatherman I would like
to be an electrician. I was always
fiddling with plugs when I was a boy.
I once electrocuted my mother after
tampering with the washing machine
plug. Later when I was a teenager,I
rewired the lighting circuit of my
parents’ house and got a shock from a
neutral wire!
Where do you see yourself in five
to ten years’ time?
People sometimes ask would I like to
do national weather in London but I’ve
worked there and now want to stay in
Wales. Plus, it’s nice to be close to
family and friends most of whom live
near by.
I am happy to do other projects such as
Weatherman Walking but my bread and
butter job is weather forecasting. I’ve
worked in TV for over 10 years now
and hope to keep working for BBC
Wales TV and Radio as the face and
voice of Welsh weather for several
more years yet.
However, I am aware that the media
can be a fickle business and I am aware
that although your face can fit one
minute you could be out on your ear
the next, so it’s important to keep your
feet on the ground!
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