The weather presenter Jay Wynne has died at the age of 56 after a long illness, his family have said.
Wynne, who joined the BBC Weather team in 2000, died in June, his brother Matthew confirmed to BBC News on Friday.
Fellow BBC forecasters led tributes to Wynne on social media. Matt Taylor, a BBC broadcast meteorologist, posted a picture of him and Wynne together. He wrote: “This has hit us all hard. Jay was a great broadcaster, talented musician, enthusiastic golfer, and a good friend. Rest in peace mate.”
Simon King, who is also a BBC weather presenter and meteorologist, said: “Really sad news about former colleague Jay Wynne. Such a lovely bloke and brilliant broadcaster. Always a joy to be on shift with him and his wicked sense of humour. Good memories. RIP Jay.”
The presenter Jen Bartram posted: “Jay was such a lovely colleague and friend – we had such laughs at the weather centre in the good old days; and I’m shocked to hear of his death today.”
Wynne’s brother Matthew said: “Jay had a gift for gentle clarity, making his forecasts for sometimes complex weather systems feel accessible and engaging.
“A keen skier, golfer and musician, Jay enjoyed travelling to pursue his sporting interests. We will miss his wisdom, generosity and dry sense of humour.”
Wynne studied environmental geography at the University of Aberdeen and went on to complete a master’s in applied meteorology at the University of Reading.
When he joined the Met Office his training involved a 14-month secondment to RAF Northolt. Before forecasting he spent time as a technician on North Sea oil rigs and a stint teaching English in Fukuoka, Japan.
In an interview with the Radio Times in 2011, he said: “I have been known to drive around after night shifts, waiting for the sun to come up.
“At night, it’s difficult to tell what kind of cloud there is on satellite pictures, so I like to see if I was right. More often than not, I am.”