Internet weather forecasts

[Monika]

I regularly use metcheck, metoffice and the BBC weather sites, but I find the most accurate for our area is www.netweather.tv

It's easy to find your locality, very precise and (usually) correct. I recommend it but would love to hear what others think about it.

[Geoff]

Like I said in Alan's thread I sometimes use http://www.xcweather.co.uk, the display is very similar to netweather and looking yesterday and today the temperature values look very similar. It is the differences between them I can't understand, I would have thought the Met Office was the data source for them all as nobody else will have their resources. As I said before, I can only think it is down to how they interpret them locally and particularly perhaps how many characters out of your post code they actually use to refine it.
At least the nasty low temperatures seem to have disappeared off them all, we were 5.9 minimum last night.

[ashb]

hi, up near where i live we have a chap called
windy wilson who gives out regular forcasts
on his website, but some of his language can
be a wee bit blue at times you have been warned
ash.

[Chantal]

I've used Metcheck for years, but it went badly downhill after the owner was jailed (not sure what for) and now it can't be accessed at all!

[Monika]

You are right, Chantal, it seems to have gone completely wrong. Shame, metcheck used to be very good.

[alan refail]

I've used Metcheck for years, but it went badly downhill after the owner was jailed (not sure what for) and now it can't be accessed at all!

The whole horrible story is here

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/years-man ... story.html

[Panteg Produce]

I find the met office pretty hard to beat.

[Colin Miles]

Met Office!?

http://thegwpf.org/uk-news/5936-warm-bias-met-office-computer-models-are-complete-rubbish.html

[John Walker]

Anyone following the link above to the Global Warming Policy Foundation site might want to have these couple of credibility checks on standby:

Lord Lawson's Global Warming Policy Foundation is spreading errors
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... ing-errors

Global Warming Policy Foundation donor funding levels revealed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... NTCMP=SRCH

[peter]

Moderator comment.

Bearing in mind the fact that when human beings construct computer models to simulate very complex systems, such as the weather, they set up starting points, ranges of values and some rules based on a variety of sources.
Most of these will be based upon scientific reasoning, however scientific reasoning evolves with time and whatever factors in a model which could be affected by global warming are likely to be set differently on different models, according to how the people involved understand or believe the rate of change to be progressing.
The models may differ for other reasons.

So can this thread stay focused on the perceived accuracy, or inaccuracies, of the various internet weather services and not descend into an exploration of the science of global warming.

Thank you.

[Colin Miles]

Just to add to what Peter has said, I have kept weather records for over 50 years and been programming almost as long. The complexities involved in modelling are mind-bogglingly enormous. Unfortunately it seems that the faster the computers get, the quicker their forecasts change. Understandable but not very helpful to us as gardeners, or anyone in the tourist industry or on holiday.

It is very frustrating to look on a web site for a forecast in the morning only to find that it has changed by the afternoon. But understandable given the changeability of our climate. The models seem to have particular difficulty with tracking speeds, and of course a very small change in direction means that they can be hundreds of miles out. I don't know what the answer is other than to poke your head outside and see what's happening, but I think that met office need to step back and look at their approach. As for their 'long range' forecasts, well least said...

[alan refail]

On the whole I don't bother with internet forecasts at all.

I find the forecasts on BBC1 Wales very accurate providing I assume slightly colder on a frosty night and slightly calmer on a windy day.



Behnaz Akhgar in the morning




and Derek Brockway in the evening.

[Colin Miles]

Alan, we apparently remember very little of the forecasts that we see on the tele. And when Behnaz is on I don't even bother to try!

Tried to engage Derek in conversation via his blog but he doesn't seem to be really interested in that sort of thing.

Hoping that the forecasts today are reasonably accurate as I need to recover a wildlife camera and see if we have found anything interesting. Setup by a badger set, but if could get a pine marten...

[Colin Miles]

What a difference a day makes! Just to add to my last post, todays Met forecast has replaced heavy rain by light showers and, as I speak it is quite nice and sunny and doesn't look at all threatening- I may regret saying that. As for tomorrow which looked like a washout, the forecast is really quite promising - occasional light shower. No doubt that will change but what will really happen!?

[Ricard with an H]

Maybe because where I live, on the Strumble peninsular, the weather is often quite different to the regular-forecasts. I use three different weather forecasting sites that seem to put a more regional slant on coast areas. Been using them for ten years and whilst they all get their information from the met office some use different models on their computers.

This is just one of them.

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/Newgale