Weather forecasting

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ColinB

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Hi Chaps,

I just wanted to ask what you all do in regards to weather before a planned shoot? I was intending to go to Burham-on-crouch this morning to get some nice sunrise coastal shots, but when I checked the forecast on the BBC last night, it was predicted for torrential downpours from 4.00am onwards (the very time I intended to go).

Anyways, I woke up this morning and find that it's been dry as a bone and I have missed my sunrise opportunity. In hindsight, I should have just gone anyway and see what happened, but the forecast was completely off.

What websites/services do you use for trust-worthy and accurate weather forecasting? And do you base any of your decisions on these forecasts, or do you go regardless?

TIA
 
I generally use the forecast as a guide but then use the met office site radar closer to the time.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/
So I can see where the rain is and direction of travel.

Cloud cover,
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/satpics/latest_uk_ir.html
the infrared needs a bit of interpretation but you can switch to visible.

The forecasts charts etc are here, with predicted rainfall, wind etc,
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/forecasts.html
And I find the pressure charts the most useful but that's because I've spent years analysing them.

Also local webcams, either off your local BBC website, Council or Highways Agency give you an idea of weather conditions “now”.

The problem with weather in Britain is that it's very variable and can be completely different for an entire day only 10 miles away.

Hope this helps.

QS
 
I've found this is pretty good.

And this has a good use of Google maps and is quite revealing as does this showing animated rain clouds.
 
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I tend to use the BBC weather forecast on the web site. It has an animation as to the weather over several days. However unless it shows a blanket sunshine or showers you are going to get variations. Local variations can be caused by rivers, coastal effects and mountains. You can be in glorious sunshine yet 10 miles away it can be snowing. ( happened to me the Midlands several years ago. ).

Although it may be dry where you are it could have been very cloudy at sunrise and you would have missed it anyway.
 
I think TV weather forcasts are worse than useless - far too generalised.
 
I printed off the forecasts for each day including sunrise/sunset and tide times for my trip to Skye last week. Should have used it to light the barbecue with, it really was useless!

To be fair the weather fronts were coming from all directions and one minute it was sunny to the point of needing sun cream and the next it could be tipping it down. In fact it managed to do both simultaneously at one point.

I think it's the eternal frustration of the landscaper and you just have to put yourself in the position to shoot it if it does come right. Often it won't but sometime it will.
 
How do you explain it when you have a nice sky for the sunset, and there is one single black cloud at the horizon it shades the Sun at the critical moment. It happened to me many many times. /rant
 
http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/

You can type your postcode or specific area in and you'll get detailed forecasts. Have only been using it for a few months but seems more accurate than most predictions. Better than the BBC anyway, they're useless!
 
Oooo, as an amateur meteorologist myself, forecasting the weather is a completely seperate subject in it's own right . . . as if you didn't need someone like me to tell you that.
Despiting the initial cold (no pun intended) reception surrounding BBC's new graphics in their forecasts, believe it or not I have been finding it to be remarkably accurate . . . but only the next 3 hours to 36 hours hi-res mesoscale forecast, though.
But then, beyond 36 hours we enter the medium range forecast and the accuracy falls off as those "blobs" becomes larger and vague-looking.

I have thought about doing a daily forecast service in here, just like my facebook group (called The Cloud Master Group which is catching on quite well but it's having a break as I'm on my work's holiday break) but I wasn't sure how well would it take off.
 
Gents, thanks for all the advice and links, that is much appreciated. It seems I have stumbled into a sore subject for other fellow landscapers.

In the past I've always just winged it and not paid much attention, but since getting back into the hobby, I'm trying to be more focussed (no pun intended) and more pre-emptive in my planning, but it seems that I ought to just get out and there and suck it and see as it were.

I'll definitely bookmark those weather links anyway, as at least it'll help my plan what to take in case the forecasts 'come true'.

It hasn't been a complete wasted day though, I've managed to get a couple of hours mooching about Coalhouse fort here in essex, and the moody clouds despite being overcast and grey have provided an opportunity for a few interesting shots.

Thanks again for such a quick response.
 
Like Ian D J, I try to do my own using data from various sites and my own weather station but one site I have found that get's it right more than it does wrong is this one... just put your postcode in and your sorted.

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi
 
I use aviation forecasts. They are localised (to the nearest airfield) and 'generally' very accurate.

Short term aviation forecasts are provided by TAFs. Not difficult to read, but you'd need to practice. Having said that there are plenty of apps that will decode them into a human readable format. e.g. IPhone app 'Aero Weather'

Hope that helps :)
 
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