Weather Pictures Competition - BBC North East and Cumbria

I am delighted to be the January judge for the BBC North East and Cumbria weather pictures competition. It was a pleasure to receive a phone call from the wonderful Paul Mooney who asked me to do the honours. 

Paul (our regional BBC weatherman) and I met on the Great North Elmer Parade when he interviewed me for a short feature about Elmer the Elephish, outside the Dome in Whitley Bay. 

Weather Pictures Competition

The weather pictures competition is all about weather pictures sent in by viewers each month representing the regions weather. A couple of pictures are featured at the beginning of the weather broadcast each day and each month they are all sent to an external judge to pick the winner.  The winning weather photo from each month gets made into the BBC Look North Weather Calendar to raise money for BBC Children in Need.

Judging the Weather Pictures Competition

January was a bumper month as you can imagine with so much snow, wind, rain and sun to contend with. I had a really amazing selection of weather pictures to choose from. It was a really difficult choice.

Click here to view the feature

Runners up

Ice Pancakes - by Jane Saul

I chose this photo as Jane really captured quite a rare sighting of a cluster of ice formations in the River Tyne. This beautiful pattern of circular sculptures floating on the surface of the water really show something magical that the weather and nature can create.  

Open Water Swimmers at Derwent - Mike Pearson

This photo really did make me smile. The photograph shows such a flat, dull, wet, grey day. The Derwent is flooded but there standing on the submerged jetty are two open water swimmers making the most of the January weather. Loved the Wonder Woman costume and big smiles. Well done for catching this moment Mike.

Winner

Sunrise at Bowes Museum - Andy Beck

I instantly connected with this photograph by Andy as it features one of the last cultural venues that I visited last March before we went into the first lockdown. It's a lovely traditional snowy sunrise scene. I can just imagine myself sitting on that bench and watching the sunrise over this magnificent building. The photo very much captured the quietness of a venue that is sadly closed due to the pandemic but the sunrise raises optimism that the sun will rise again over the Bowes Museum and all our much loved cultural venues in the region. 

Watch the weather pictures film clip click here 

How to enter the weather pictures competition? Click here

If you are out and about and snap a great picture of the weather then I'm sure Paul would love to hear from you. Get snapping!