Like may of you I am getting very frustrated by the inaccurate weather forecasting on offer. I am using metcheck online at the moment but over the past few months that has gone right downhill and isnt that accurate anymore, the bbc met office website I can't even begin to understand, so I was wondering, which online forecasting any of you guys use.
On another note, a couple of people(bertl and rene) in another post have expressed a wish to photograph Barn Owl's, well as my pair have now returned to their territory and I know of other hunting sites near me, if any of you are in Suffolk over the summer and fancy having a go at Barn Owl's give me a shout and we can meet up.
Posted by Chris Lloyd on March 31, 2008 at 5:30 PM
Hi Rob,
I either use the BBC weather on t'internet or better still look out of the window, not quite so easy for a dawn start though!
Chris.
Posted by John Robinson on March 31, 2008 at 5:35 PM
I use the Met Office radar and forecast site and you can usually work it out for yourself.
Its the GREAT STORM ! Ever since then, they are all worried sick now so they forecast the worst .
JohnR
Posted by Austin Thomas on March 31, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Hi Rob,
I use the BBC one and I have to say that recently it has not been accurate, but generally speaking it has been OK.
I suspect they all get the data from the same source and just display it differently.
Cheers
Austin
Posted by Paul Inglis on March 31, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Hi Rob,
Living in the Isle of Man is like living in an oasis at times! The long range forecast on Manx Radio is two days! and is variable from hour to hour! I’ve tried many different websites including the BBC (the tide tables are good though!) but no avail so I have adopted the look out of the window approach after numerous let downs! Rather than be stuck in doors, I have now adopted weather gear like a brother! All my camera gear, have waterproof coats on. This enables me to go out and shoot all year round! When it rains I still shoot as wildlife is still active, but in a different way! It offers a different type of image! However if the weather is really bad I just throw a waterproof ground sheet over everything and peg it down until the severity of it passes!
Posted by Andy Astbury on March 31, 2008 at 5:56 PM
There's Accuwether too Rob - usually pretty good but of late just as crazy as everything else
Posted by Anthony House on March 31, 2008 at 6:05 PM
Like John has said, since that storm it's all gone tits up, BBC have been about the closest to getting it right imo.. Agree about met check, they've lost the plot on that site...
If you can find them, then the Aviation Met is usually OK for a day or so. Other than that - use the Met Office site along with the Surface pressure charts. They're as accurate as anywhere else . FWIW, the sp charts can give you a reasonable idea of wind & weather fronts for the next 48-72hrs....
Posted by John Robinson on March 31, 2008 at 6:10 PM
PS
Forgot to mention !
I have bad phobia about thunderstorms. ! So I like to get it pretty accurate !!!
JohnR
I use the met office sat. images and pressure charts. From the direction and speed of approacing clouds (using the IR 24 hour sequence) you can be fairly accurate for about 12 hours in advance. As for most forecasts you would have a better success rate hanging out a bit of sea weed, and even then if it came in wet they would say it was sunny.
The Irish Met service (www.met.ie) gives a wide range of forecasting services. It will probably not do much to help your plight. However, it accuate enough and if the weather is westerly, the weather I get will be along your own soon after.
MJ
PS also check out the site www.askmoby.com
Posted by Paul Hillion on March 31, 2008 at 6:46 PM
I use WindGURU a fair bit, you may find it of some use:
I may well take you up on the Barn Owl offer Rob, depends when and if I can make it over to the mainland.
Paul
Guernsey
Posted by Ian Andrews on March 31, 2008 at 7:16 PM
Acombination of Metcheck, the BBC, the window and sticking my head out the door, then taking a straw poll sometimes works!
Coastal shipping 'casts also help, but I am only 300m from the sea!
The Met Office although they do tend to up the conditions a bit.... living fairly close to Oneoaks (used to be Sevenoaks) we are fairly wary about high winds
Discussion
18 repliesLike may of you I am getting very frustrated by the inaccurate weather forecasting on offer. I am using metcheck online at the moment but over the past few months that has gone right downhill and isnt that accurate anymore, the bbc met office website I can't even begin to understand, so I was wondering, which online forecasting any of you guys use.
On another note, a couple of people(bertl and rene) in another post have expressed a wish to photograph Barn Owl's, well as my pair have now returned to their territory and I know of other hunting sites near me, if any of you are in Suffolk over the summer and fancy having a go at Barn Owl's give me a shout and we can meet up.
Regards
Rob
I either use the BBC weather on t'internet or better still look out of the window, not quite so easy for a dawn start though!
Chris.
Its the GREAT STORM ! Ever since then, they are all worried sick now so they forecast the worst .
JohnR
I use the BBC one and I have to say that recently it has not been accurate, but generally speaking it has been OK.
I suspect they all get the data from the same source and just display it differently.
Cheers
Austin
Living in the Isle of Man is like living in an oasis at times! The long range forecast on Manx Radio is two days! and is variable from hour to hour! I’ve tried many different websites including the BBC (the tide tables are good though!) but no avail so I have adopted the look out of the window approach after numerous let downs! Rather than be stuck in doors, I have now adopted weather gear like a brother! All my camera gear, have waterproof coats on. This enables me to go out and shoot all year round! When it rains I still shoot as wildlife is still active, but in a different way! It offers a different type of image! However if the weather is really bad I just throw a waterproof ground sheet over everything and peg it down until the severity of it passes!
Forgot to mention !
I have bad phobia about thunderstorms. ! So I like to get it pretty accurate !!!
JohnR
John Lee
MJ
PS also check out the site www.askmoby.com
http://www.windguru.com/int/help_index.php?sec=intro
I may well take you up on the Barn Owl offer Rob, depends when and if I can make it over to the mainland.
Paul
Guernsey
Coastal shipping 'casts also help, but I am only 300m from the sea!
Ian
I use a combination of metoffice and www.xcweather.co.uk.
If neither are available I usually go on the predication that the weather tomorrow will be similar to the weather today
Rob
http://s214580749.websitehome.co.uk/weather/weather-short.html
or
http://fishingwx.com/
The first one is a page that links to many other forecasting tools, the second is fishing weather which I have to say is surprisingly accurate.
Andrew
http://www.fwi.co.uk/Weather/Local.aspx
Just type in your post code or you can have national weather aswell.
Also for current weather the latest update of Google earth has weather just zoom out a bit.