ICONIC weatherman John Kettley has put pen to paper to tell the story of his life, from his local upbringing to becoming one of the most famous forecasters in the country.

The 57-year-old, who is a big Burnley FC fan, and attended his first game of the season on Saturday as the Clarets beat Birmingham 2-1 at the weekend, spent eight months writing the book which is simply called Weatherman.

He describes it as a mix between an autobiography and a look back at the extreme weather events that he has lived through and covered.

John’s personal involvement with the 1987 hurricane fiasco, when forecasters played down the seriousness of the impending weather, features extensively.

He also speaks of his encounters with noted figures including Tony Blair.

John, who grew up in Todmorden, said he was first asked to do a book as long as 20 years ago.

“I was approached about doing a book about the weather decades years ago,” he said, “but I thought it sounds a bit boring so I’ve done a mix really.

“It is a bit about my life and all the things I have done as well as about some of the great weather events I have experienced.”

John’s cult status figure was confirmed in 1988 when the band A Tribe of Toffs immortalised hime in a song called John Kettley is a Weatherman, which reached number 21 in the UK charts.

Despite being a huge Burnley fan, John said his roots lie firmly in Yorkshire.

“I am a proud Yorkshireman,” he said, “people often ask how I can support a team from the other side of the border but they were the closest team to me as a youngster.

“I played cricket in the Lancashire League for Todmorden as well, I’m proud to have played for the only Yorkshire team in the league.”

John said he was proud to have written the entire 60,000 words for the book himself.

He said: “I was offered a ghost writer but I wanted to put it in my own words, things come to you at random times so its best to scribble it down there and then.

“I’ve had some experience writing a column for the Daily Mail for the past four years, so it was a really enjoyable experience, it was great to recall all these memories.”

* Weatherman by John Kettley, published by Great Northern Books, October 2009. Price £16.99. To order a copy call 01274 735056 or visit the website below.