What is happening?

High pressure weather over many parts of the UK can cause problems with TV reception, and occasionally radio reception.
This type of weather can move around, so it is hard to know exactly where the problems will appear. If your TV picture suddenly breaks up or your radio sounds crackly, the weather may be the reason.

Why does this cause problems?

High pressure can make the air form layers. These layers can act like a mirror and bend TV and radio signals in unusual ways. When this happens, signals from far‑away transmitters can mix with your local signal. This is more noticeable on television, where it can cause picture break‑up or loss of signal, but it can also make radio sound crackly or fade in and out.

How can I check if it is affecting me?

You can check if there is a problem with your local radio or TV transmitter by using our transmitter checker tool. High pressure can sometimes affect relay transmitters, which receive TV signals from a main transmitter and re‑broadcast them to nearby homes. 

When this happens, we know about it because it affects the transmitter itself, and we will show a message on the tool. However, most high‑pressure problems affect the signal at your home rather than the transmitter. In these cases, the tool will show no faults even though your picture or sound is breaking up.

Should I retune?

No. Please do not retune your TV or radio.  
Retuning will not fix weather‑related problems, and on a TV it can make things worse by removing channels that were working before.

If you can, you could use BBC iPlayer or BBC Sounds until the weather changes.

What if I already retuned my television?

If you have already retuned and are missing channels, you may need to retune again once the weather has cleared.
For more help, please visit Freeview.

What about radio?

Radio can also be affected during high‑pressure weather. You may notice crackling, interference, or the sound fading in and out.
These problems are usually temporary and should clear once conditions change.
You can read more about radio reception during high pressure here.

Are cable and satellite affected?

No. Cable and satellite services are not affected by this type of weather.

Learn more

Matt Taylor from BBC Weather explains why high pressure can affect Freeview reception in the video below.