Weather Forcasts

ShootersHillGuru

Who do lifers generally look to for providing their weather forecasts ? I have the BBC (MeteoGroup) on my phone and tablet but I’m astonished to see just how often this is almost completely wrong. By way of example I watched our local weather forecast on the local BBC News last evening and the prediction was for pretty much full sun from dawn till dusk. Yesterday although very warm it was predominantly cloudy. Woke up this morning to 100% cloud cover. I looked at The Met Office website and it much more closely reflects what I’m seeing even to the point of a few spots of rain a few minutes ago. I understand that The Beeb isn’t renewing Meteo’s contract and reverting back to the Met Office. Anyway. Who is your go to forecaster for day to day weather and for looking at your holiday destinations? 

Weegie Addick

Meteo are Dutch, I think? The BBC forecasts got noticeably worse once they took over. I’m guessing they find it difficult to predict our weather with so many hills in the way that impact the patterns. I’m only half joking. 

ForeverAddickted

Combination of: MetOffice / ClearOutside / Windy / Accuweather / Ventusky

Sites like Met Office just tell you if its going to be cloudy or not.

ClearOutside, whilst wont give you a straight forward forecast, will predict the percentage of Low / Medium / High Clouds.

clive

The BBC is to reunite with the Met Office for its weather forecasts and climate updates, eight years after the relationship between the two organisations ended.
Since February 2018, data for the BBC's TV, radio and online forecasts has been provided by the Dutch MeteoGroup which was subsequently acquired by the US weather services company DTN.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm4z8mple3o

Arthur_Trudgill

If important e.g. planning a day out, I look at both and if they agree, then I trust it.

Otherwise just the BBC, e.g. for whether to wear a jacket to go out.

guinnessaddick

thai malaysia addick

I mostly use the BBC for an overview but Clime for localised stuff like storms.

bobmunro

Apple's weather app is pretty good - it uses the Met Office plus its own weather data from Dark Sky. Otherwise I use Accuweather.

The BBC was crap but it's recently teamed up again with the Met Office so things should improve.

Baldybonce

Metcheck when i'm at home.
MWIS when in Scotland.

Hartleypete

Met offices, no ifs or buts.

Hex

The app symbols use data from the computer model runs (2 or 4 times daily) with little or no human input.  They are predominantly a waste of space.  Your best bet is to check the Met Office app BUT scroll down to the text forecast.  Of course, for rain or showers use a rain radar and if cloud is important to you, try Sat24.com.  ‘Current’ or ‘actual’ temperatures on apps are predictions from data collected many hours previously.  Your car thermometer is a better bet.

Char1t0n

guinnessaddick said:

Best way, LOL, look out the window:

Is it wet?
Yep!
Then it's raining mate.

eaststandmike

The BBC are reinstating their links to the Met Office very soon for an improved service 

I am surprised at the criticism the BBC get as I use the app to plan my outdoor activities both work and pleasure and it’s very accurate 

Hex

Regarding the data used by Meteo Group on BBC.  Although they may favour a specific computer model (Meteo do not have their own) they, like all other forecasters, including Met Office, will use their own experience to decide which model to use for each and every forecast and often it will be a blend of 2 or more models.  Eg the Americans at NOAA my ignore their own GFS model and use a blend of ECMWF (European) and Met Office (don’t tell Trump !)

cazo

Willy weather is the best app we use it for our work 

SporadicAddick

BBC website always seems pretty accurate to me, home and abroad.

BigRedEvil

cazo said:

Willy weather is the best app we use it for our work 

What tools do Willy weather use to predict the forecast?

ShootersHillGuru

eaststandmike said:

The BBC are reinstating their links to the Met Office very soon for an improved service 

I am surprised at the criticism the BBC get as I use the app to plan my outdoor activities both work and pleasure and it’s very accurate 

BBC App for my locale currently saying it’s broken cloud and sun. Currently it’s 100% cloud cover and light rain. I’d say that’s fairly inaccurate.

Ross

As accurate as Apple is, including 'rain expected in 26 minutes' or 'rain to stop in 19 minutes', the frustration for me is on the weekly forecast it will show rain for a day, but when you go on the day for a detailed hour by hour breakdown the rain is 30% expected for one hour at 4am, with the rest of the day showing as sunny.

eaststandmike

ShootersHillGuru said:

eaststandmike said:

The BBC are reinstating their links to the Met Office very soon for an improved service 

I am surprised at the criticism the BBC get as I use the app to plan my outdoor activities both work and pleasure and it’s very accurate 

BBC App for my locale currently saying it’s broken cloud and sun. Currently it’s 100% cloud cover and light rain. I’d say that’s fairly inaccurate.

Maybe it’s regional, just for balance the BBC is saying blue skies, plenty of sunshine and a top temperature in the 30’s today in Kent and it’s bang on correct 

ShootersHillGuru

I’ve deleted the BBC app and am currently using Willy Weather which is 100% agreeing with what’s outside.

Gribbo

Look out the window

ShootersHillGuru

Gribbo said:

Look out the window

That’s only helpful if you want to know what’s happening right now. If I want to plan a day out or eg a picnic it would be good to know what’s predicted. My gripe here is that BBC are not just a bit wrong but 100% wrong and it’s a common occurrence.

eaststandmike

ShootersHillGuru said:

Gribbo said:

Look out the window

That’s only helpful if you want to know what’s happening right now. If I want to plan a day out or eg a picnic it would be good to know what’s predicted. My gripe here is that BBC are not just a bit wrong but 100% wrong and it’s a common occurrence.

Has to be a regional issue, see how you get on with the new one 

Hex

eaststandmike said:

ShootersHillGuru said:

Gribbo said:

Look out the window

That’s only helpful if you want to know what’s happening right now. If I want to plan a day out or eg a picnic it would be good to know what’s predicted. My gripe here is that BBC are not just a bit wrong but 100% wrong and it’s a common occurrence.

Has to be a regional issue, see how you get on with the new one 

Models split the country/world up into squares.  Each model run will have its own size square (resolution).  Generally, the higher the resolution, the better the forecast.  In most but definitely not all weather situations, temperature predictions a day or 2 ahead are pretty accurate.  Rainfall amounts or shower locations though is a mugs game.

Gribbo

ShootersHillGuru said:

Gribbo said:

Look out the window

That’s only helpful if you want to know what’s happening right now. If I want to plan a day out or eg a picnic it would be good to know what’s predicted. My gripe here is that BBC are not just a bit wrong but 100% wrong and it’s a common occurrence.

If anything I just Google "weather in Charlton" to get some idea of what's what, but I have looked up the weather forecast in the past saying its presently pashing it down, while I'm standing in blue skies and bright sunshine. 

I tend to look at forecasts in the same was as I look at the horoscope 

fenlandaddick

Accuweather and met office.  I like the month ahead guesstimate on Accuweather.

Rothko

Carrot Weather on my phone, data via Apple, who brought Dark
Sky and have the best hyperlocal model around 

Stu_of_Kunming

iPhone weather app seems pretty accurate all over the world. 

DamoNorthStand

My mate works for the met office and says Accuweathers 45 day forecast is almost entirely pointless. It is impossible to say what the weather is going to be like a month in advance, and even 7 days out is tough.

Gribbo