STV is to launch a new-look STV Weather Centre fronted by Scotland's favourite weather presenter Sean Batty and a newly formed team.

The innovative weather presentation, which will launch on STV News at Six on Monday, January 21, is part of a significant investment in skills, technology and digital by STV to strengthen the channel's position as Scotland's home of news and entertainment and ensure the best weather coverage for STV viewers.

Batty will be joined by two journalists to form a new weather team - multimedia journalist Laura Piper, who will present weather forecasts, major weather stories and features about how weather shapes our lives, and production journalist Philip Petrie, who will produce weather graphics and social media content to ensure STV's audience is served on all platforms.

"This investment is about more than telling our viewers what's happening outside," said Steven Ladurantaye, head of news and current affairs.

"It allows us to provide far more detail than previously and to do more stories about how weather shapes our lives, to focus on individual communities around Scotland in more detail and it also gets our team out of the studio and into the communities we serve."

STV's investment includes a new presentation area in the heart of the newsroom at the channel's Glasgow studios, incorporating an 86" interactive touch screen monitor - a UK first in broadcast weather.

The screen allows the weather team to zoom in for a closer look at communities around Scotland and can also display real-time details such as temperature, wind strength and pressure details to provide more context to STV's forecasts.

The weather team's new workspace will allow them to film and edit videos for broadcast and digital distribution in real-time, and communicate weather stories across the day to viewers and social media followers.

In another UK first, STV is introducing a dedicated weather truck, a Mitsubishi L200, which will travel all over Scotland as the team covers the biggest weather stories live from locations across the country.

To celebrate the launch of the new-look STV Weather Centre, STV is asking viewers to help name the channel's new weather truck.

Viewers are invited to send their top name suggestions by email to stvweather@stv.tv or post their ideas on social media using #NameSeansTruck.

"It's a very exciting month of UK firsts for STV Weather and I expect we'll be putting it all to good use in the coming weeks as winter finally arrives," said Sean Batty.

"If you see us on the road, give us a wave, and if we're in your town or village we'd love to meet you."

STV Weather is sponsored by TUI.

STV Weather forecasts and features are available on screen and online via stv.tv/weather the STV News app and on social media.