Understanding the weather (or at least trying to ! )

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smr

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Joel
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Hi all,

Couple of weeks ago I drove an hour or so for some landscape photography and I thought the forecast looked good - according to the forecast it was sunny intervals which I thought meant a mixture of cloud and sun so I went to see if I could get some photos... well I didn't - as there was literally a few minutes of the whole day where the sun broke through the clouds.

So what exactly is meant by 'Sunny Intervals' - as opposed to partly cloudy etc. I ask because I'm interested in driving the same distance this weekend but don't want to if it's just going to be flat overcast clouds all day again and the forecast is once gain set as sunny intervals all day.
 
Its a common problem :(

Sunny Intervals does mean that, what they can't say though if its going to be that exactly where you want it to be. So you'll never get "Sunny Intervals over lake Buttermere perfect for photography", you'll at best get "Sunny Intervals (somewhere) over Cumbria"

I organised a seascape photo trip for 8 of us once to the east coast, the forecast was Sunny - seems safe enough I thought

When we got there there was total cloud cover and no wind to blow it away !!! So I phoned Tourist Info centres 30 miles north & south of my position asking them what the weather was like, both said 'Blanket cloud' !!!

Maybe its just me but if the forecasters can't spot a cloud at least 60 miles long and 15 miles wide what's the point of them opening their mouths - Grrrr

Dave
 
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No doubt a whole host of people will be along to recommend their favourite weather website but in reality there is not a lot to choose between them, some may have fancier graphics and some may be more accurate under certain conditions but most of the data comes from the Met Office so that is where I look. I also don’t bother with the text, the text is usually describing in a few words what will happen across many hundreds of square kilometres over a 6 or 12 hour period.

So personally my first point of reference is the map for the area on the Met Office website, it’s not the prettiest thing but it is, in my experience fairly accurate up to 18 hours ahead. Go to http://www.metoffice.gov.uk search for the place you are going to and then click “Get detailed map for …” under the map in the middle of the page. Then when the map is on screen at the bottom right is a “Show^” pop-up, click that and choose cloud and rain, then run the animation, this gives you some idea not only what the weather will be but also which direction it is coming from.


Other sites I use are meteoblue.com (has a good Astronomical Seeing forecast for night photos) and for mountains http://www.mwis.org.uk/


HTH
 
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A couple of miles can make all the difference and you make your choice and take your chance at times.

Some weather is very localised well it certainly is where I live (between the sea and Cumbrian fells) the weather forecast is just that and not definitive statement of fact. The more mountainous an area is the more localised and unpredicatable the waether can be.

Ealier this year I set off from home to go out on a day with a very light breeze and got out of the car less than 20 miles away in Wasdale and could hardly stand due to the severity of the gusts of wind having set off wondering if a reflections was possible not the waves crashing on the rocks I found. A trip to the beach right after that and we were back to a light breeze less than 10 miles away.

Who is going to predict that lot for you.
 
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smr said:
Thanks both. What do you think to cloud forecast websites like sat24.com ?
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Never used it but at a cursory glance it doesn't seem to offer as much as the Met Office
 
Unfortunately even the experts cant predict the weather that acurately, so what chance have we got ;)

The other approach is to work with what you are given, it may not be suitable for the type of shoot you want, but gives the opportunity to explore different ideas.
Going to a specific location for a certain type of shot will often lead to frustration if the weather isn't right. Better to treat it as a challenge to your creativity, than to return home depressed. This might fuel a few ideas of what can be done in these situations :-

View: https://youtu.be/b8oVhebfnUY



Wasn't going to add to the weather website suggestions, but guess it might work for you, it's the best I have found for my locality, so it might benefit others too, so here goes http://clearoutside.com/forecast/
 
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Whatever weather app you use you just have to accept that there's probably only a 50/50 chance it will be accurate.

I usually venture out whatever the weather because you never know what will happen... the only thing you know for sure is you won't get any shots staying at home. If the weather is looking iffy I usually get up anyway and before I go out check the current forecast with the weather outside to get a better idea.
 
Living in North Wales coping with dodgy weather forecasts is par for the course. In my experience they're only worth taking any notice of up to about 12hrs before you plan on heading out and even then it's a case of keeping your fingers crossed. Mountainous areas generate their own local weather fronts, it's not unusual to have 2 different weather conditions in 2 valleys separated by a couple of miles.

The best bet is always have a backup plan, figure out a location which isn't fully dependant on great light or just shoot something different...detail shots, shallow depth of field or black & white using stone walls/buildings etc can still be very effective in dull conditions. There's nearly always something to photograph, it might just not be the "big views" you'd set your heart on but I think it's these challenges that make landscape photography so interesting in this country...be boring if every time we went out the conditions were perfect!

Simon
 
Lets face it its always going to be Iffy in the UK. Trying to predict our weather is pretty difficult. As @justinminns says your better off just setting the clock and going for it. The two benefits that arise from this are...
1. Sometimes the weather surprises you and pick up some great shots, even poor weather can produce great results with heavy threatening cloud and that fleeting burst of light etc etc.
2. It teaches you to handle shooting in a whole range of conditions (Read getting soaked).

I guess therefore its common sense to always carry good wet weather gear in your car and a change of clothes especially in winter.

On weather sites i think all have a bit of something but sadly I find there isnt any single site that has everything!
I use http://www.mwis.org.uk/ a lot, also bizarrely https://www.yr.no/place/United_Kingdom/England/Basingstoke/hour_by_hour_detailed.html this is a Norwegian site but seems to be quite accurate and i like that when you drill down into it you can pick up an hour by hour that also details the cloud and fog at various levels. (unfortunately the phone app is carp!).
Also good idea to have a delve around on the internet for web cams that might be available in the area. (for example there is one on the preservation society railway station near Corfe Castle that gives you an idea of whats happening in the area).

I guess in days to come people will be sending out there drones to check out the location before they set off!

Good Luck Joel
 
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alfbranch said:
A couple of miles can make all the difference and you make your choice and take your chance at times.

Some weather is very localised well it certainly is where I live (between the sea and Cumbrian fells) the weather forecast is just that and not definitive statement of fact. The more mountainous an area is the more localised and unpredicatable the waether can be.

Ealier this year I set off from home to go out on a day with a very light breeze and got out of the car less than 20 miles away in Wasdale and could hardly stand due to the severity of the gusts of wind having set off wondering if a reflections was possible not the waves crashing on the rocks I found. A trip to the beach right after that and we were back to a light breeze less than 10 miles away.

Who is going to predict that lot for you.
Click to expand...

That pretty much sums up my experience when we spent a few days in Wasdale/Gosforth in September! :)
 
What I find funny is that none of the weather apps or sites accutally agree on anything. Which is odd as don't they all get their data from the same weather stations and radar feeds?
 
Or the old lakeland method: if you can see across the lake it's going to rain, if you can't it's raining
 
I have been developing an App for it but the stone keeps coming unplugged from the phone socket:):ROFLMAO:
 
If you are going to the coast the national coastwatch will provide you with local weather. Either they will have weather data from their station or you can give them a ring and ask.
 
Bearair said:
If you are going to the coast the national coastwatch will provide you with local weather. Either they will have weather data from their station or you can give them a ring and ask.
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I volunteer with the National Coastwatch Institute - perhaps you do too? At our station we are instructed to only ever give the weather as it is now from what we can see. We are not allowed to give out the maritime forecast from the Met Office.

We can give the current weather via the phone or radio channel 65 (all NCI stations use this channel - only useful if you're at sea, so not likely to be doing landscape photography :) )
 
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