Enjoy it if you can! Jon Mitchell's 33 years as ITV Calendar weather forecaster

• 'I'm much younger than you Christa': A look back at some classic Jon Mitchell weather forecasts

He has become a daily fixture in tens of thousands of homes across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire over the last 33 years.

But Jon Mitchell's meteorological journey began long before he ever appeared on screen as ITV Calendar's weather forecaster.

"I actually started my meteorological career at age 10, when I was class weather monitor at primary school," he said.

"When everyone else lost interest, I was always fascinated with clouds. All the way through my teenage years I was interested in how weather works."

Having grown up in Morecambe, after leaving school in 1978, Jon pursued that interest professionally, taking a job with the Met Office based in London and receiving training in meteorology at Reading Technical College.

His first posting was to Heathrow Airport, where he had the job of briefing air crew and later the RAF at Finningley, Yorkshire.

Jon said: "Jim Callaghan was still Prime Minister, inflation was running at 20%. My first pay rise was 20% – I thought, this is great, I’ll be a millionaire by the time I’m 30!"

Having spent time at Manchester Airport as well, Jon moved to Leeds in 1986 to take a job at Leeds Weather Centre, where he put together forecasts for newspapers and radio as well as local councils and utility providers.

• Jon's first ever appearance on Calendar in 1986

His first ever appearance on ITV Calendar came in 1986 when he was interviewed by reporter Chris Kiddey for a news item about ex-Hurricane Charley.

"It was a real rabbits in the headlight moment," Jon said.

But Yorkshire Television bosses clearly saw potential and from 1989 he began standing in for Bob Rust at YTV when he went on holiday.

"I was Bob Rust’s stuntman," he jokes.

The permanent job came after Bob's retirement in 1995. Over the years, as well as forecasting the weather, Jon's on-screen adventures have taken him flying with the RAF, up the Emley Moor television mast and on board the Flying Scotsman.

He also became known for his catchphrases "Look up, it's free!" and "Enjoy it if you can", as well as his reminder for people wanting to get in touch that there's "no 'h' in Jon".

He said: "People rarely look up. And if you look up at the sky it’s always changing – it’s a free show, it’s fascinating. But you can’t manufacture catchphrases, they just evolve."

As well as working alongside a host of much loved Calendar presenters – from Richard Whiteley and Christa Ackroyd to Christine Talbot and Duncan Wood – Jon reckons he has provided around 70,000 forecasts and is the longest-serving of ITV's weather presenters.

"Someone asked me if I’m the longest serving weather presenter on local television and I think the answer has to be yes," he said.

"In fact I think I might be the longest serving weather presenter on British television full-stop, unless someone can correct me. I can’t think of anybody that has been doing it longer."

He said: "I still get the adrenaline kick from doing the live chats. Occasionally I stop to think and realise hundreds of thousands of people are watching. It's still a real buzz."

Life outside of the studio has been rewarding, too, as Jon has met fans wherever he has been.

"No matter where you are in the world, there's always someone from Barnsley who stops you to speak to you," he said. "I love hearing people's stories – everybody has one – and that's always been a part of the job I've enjoyed."

He has also worked as a patron of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance for the last 15 years and plans to spend more time on his charitable work, as well as walking in his beloved Yorkshire Dales, in his retirement. Jon is also about to become a grandfather.

But he said he would still be taking a keen interest in the skies.

"I’ll still be looking at the forecasts, at the weather charts, just because I'm not presenting the weather any more that won't stop," he said.