Amazon Alexa is the cloud-based voice service that powers Amazon Echo and Echo Dot. Just by asking Alexa, users can get help with anything from setting alarms to selecting music - and now also getting the latest weather forecast from the Met Office. Customers can enable the Met Office Flash Briefing skill in the Alexa app, and then get a Met Office regional forecast for the next 24 hours as part of their Flash Briefing.

The Alexa skill has been created to offer a new way to help the public better plan their day by knowing what the weather forecast is in their region. The Met Office issued the first newspaper forecast in 1861, the first radio forecast in 1922, and the first TV forecast in 1954. This project continues this proud history of being at the forefront of weather content delivery, opening up Met Office content to new channels and millions more users.

Met Office informatics specialist Niall Robinson said: “The way that people access the weather forecast is changing and it’s important that we stay ahead of the curve by providing innovative new ways in which people can access our trusted forecasts. The Alexa skill is a fantastic new way to bring our weather forecast into the modern home.”

“The Met Office Flash Briefing skill provides another great local service for customers in the UK,” said Fabrice Rousseau, General Manager, Alexa Skills Kit EU. “This will enable Alexa users to personalize their Flash Briefing content to an even greater degree, providing highly-detailed 24-hour forecasts specifically focused on the region of their choice.”

As with our popular apps for phones and tablets, we aim to develop the Met Office Flash Briefing with the help of those who use it. By enabling the skill and providing feedback users can help inform future improvements.

If you don’t have an Amazon Echo you can keep up to date with the weather in your area using our forecast pages and by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as using our new mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.

How to subscribe the skill on an Amazon Echo device:

In the Alexa app:

  1. From the Menu, select Skills. 
  2. Use the search bar and enter ‘Met Office’ or select Weather under Categories to browse through skill categories.  
  3. When you see the regional forecast(s) you want to receive, select Enable Skill. 

From the Alexa Skills store on the website:

  1. Visit: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dalexa-skills&field-keywords=met+office+alexa  
  2. Select the regional forecast(s) you want to receive
  3. Sign-in to Amazon to get the skill