Recent unseasonal weather events and assessments of the potential impacts of climate change and variability on agriculture reveal that there is a pressing need to consider the range of adaptation options available to farmers, including their technical suitability, economic viability and environmental impact. This paper reviews the potential role of weather forecasting with reference to agriculture, including a brief assessment of its current status and uptake, its suitability and target use, issues associated with investment and benefit, and the constraints to wider uptake.