Automatic Telephone Forecast Service

The new system operated by transmitting the forecast by teletype from the Bureau's Divisional Office to the main PMG trunk exchange in Melbourne where the voice of one of a team of specially trained telephonists was recorded on a drum. The recording lasted about 45 seconds.

The teletyped forecast transmitted from the Bureau to the PMG was updated six times daily or more frequently if required by significant weather changes. During the first week of operation the M064 service averaged 20 000 calls a day and it was necessary to connect 10 additional lines to avoid all lines being engaged.

This service was popular because the forecast it contained was more up to date than those transmitted at fixed times by radio or television or those available in newspapers.

Members of the public could telephone the weather room of the Divisional Office but forecasting staff were often busy with the task of formulating and writing the forecast. Dialling M064 gave the public more ready access to the latest forecast. Weather room staff also had the advantage of freedom of interruption from telephone callers and were able to respond to telephone calls from users of the Bureau services who required more specialised or detailed information.

By February 1959 over four million calls had been made to M064 and over 74 500 calls were made on 20 January of that year when a cool change was expected following a spell of hot weather. The system was progressively extended to other capital cities and in the year 1960–61 almost 7 500 000 calls were made, with over 3 700 000 in Melbourne, almost two million in Sydney, almost 850 000 in Adelaide, half a million in Perth, almost 250 000 in Brisbane and about 150 000 in Hobart.

Bureau of Meteorology