Forecaster boss weathers letter-writing

If you write to the head of the government's weather service about its predictions, the forecast is there's a high chance you'll get a personal response.

Bureau of Meteorology head Andrew Johnson told senators on Monday he spends a few hours each week replying to correspondence addressed to him personally.

"I think if people go to the effort of writing to me I should pay them the respect of writing back," he told the Senate estimates hearing in Canberra.

"I don't regard correspondence from the community as chewing up my time. I think it's an important part of my job."

The bureau receives far more correspondence about the weather than climate change, he said.

The percentage of letters received denying climate change or attacking the bureau for its work in the climate sphere was "surprisingly small", Dr Johnson said.

Most of the feedback from the public was around weather, water and flood-related issues.