Weather forecasts

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harry

At the Start
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Apr 16, 2005
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5,694
I can't believe these people get paid, honestly they can't give correct forecasts for the next few hours!!

Always wrong and even better we went to Legoland a couple of weeks back spur of the moment and the BBC and Met office gave 2 different forecasts for weather just 2 hours later

All those pathetic visuals and swirly shite on the maps and they would have more success looking out the window

Mystic Meg would do a better job:mad:
 
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She'd probably charge a lot more, Harry! :lol:

Seriously though I do see your point. We get three forecasts within half-an-hour and none of them the same.

I've learned to pick the one that applies most to my area and use the Country Tracks one on Sunday morning as a general guide for the week. (The evening Country File one is sometimes a bit less detailed and more hurried).
 
All the computers and satellite stuff must cost a fortune and it doesn't seem to have improved the accuracy of the reports.

I'm sure the Met Office would disagree but the perception seems to be that 'seaweed' used to work just as well.;)
 
Why I'm so concerned is because I work 15 mins walk away from work and 10 mins away from my kids school and I leave to take them to breakfast club and they do/don't wear coats etc depending on the forecast if it's 100% no rain...........and hey ho it rains 3/4 hours later!! Always Always the same , has been for years:mad:
 
So you should know by now that you shove 'em into raincoats if the forecast is for sun, and leave them off if the forecast is for rain!
 
I have the best barometer in the world. Cats.

When the cats eat 2 breakfasts and put themselves to bed it is going to rain. The only things they can't tell you is how much rain and when, but I always take a brolly when they do that.
 
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The trouble with weather forecasting is that it is right too often for us to ignore it, and wrong too often for us to completely rely upon it.

I find weather forecasting in the UK and Ireland to be very good. For instance, the very cold weather (in spite of it being highly unusual for Nov/Dec) was flagged well in advance by the meteorological services.

I think people sometimes have difficulty in interpreting TV and radio forecasts. If you listen carefully, you will hear words like "mostly dry", "chance of heavy showers", etc. Given the geography of our countries, what might produce heavy showers in Gloucester, might produce bone-dry conditions at Cheltenham racecourse. People may hear "strong wind, heavy rain and high tides" but fail to hear "spreading to all areas after dark". So assume that the forecast is incorrect again when they go to bed.

And sometimes there is a 20% chance (say) of severe disruption due to snow. The media are alerted. Panic ensues. The snow stays away. People think that the met office have screwed up again. It is very frustrating.

Looking up a website like the BBC 5-day is never going to be much good. All of the information is distilled into three or four things (weather, wind, min temp, max temp); you would be better off looking at the more detailed information from the local met service.
 
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Good point, Bar.

I have had the experience of seeing a heavy shower over my street and the fields behind, whilst driving towards it in dry, sunny conditions.
 
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