What's the best way to know projected cloud cover - except for looking out the window?

cymruchris

cymruchris

Suspended / Banned
Messages
2,921
Name
Chris
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm not in the UK at the moment - and I'm struggling to find the best way to work out the chances of cloud cover overnight when I want to do some astro photography. Is there an app or website that can give me cloud cover projections/satellite pictures etc - as the ones I look at right now seem to be next to useless. What do you guys use apart from looking out the window?
 
cymruchris said:
I'm not in the UK at the moment - and I'm struggling to find the best way to work out the chances of cloud cover overnight when I want to do some astro photography. Is there an app or website that can give me cloud cover projections/satellite pictures etc - as the ones I look at right now seem to be next to useless. What do you guys use apart from looking out the window?
Click to expand...

One of the best ways to do it I think is to see if there is a local gliding club and if they do a specialised forecast. They include an expected cloud cover in this, but will often only bother if a day looks good from their point of view. You should be able to subscribe if they do.

Failing that, www.meteoblue.com is pretty good. Has an astronomical visibility forecast
 
Last edited:
Good thought - but not many gliding clubs in my part of the world....
 
I use the Darksky app. Very similar and normally pretty accurate ("it will commence raining in 15 minutes", and it does). :)

It will do run throughs of cloud and precipitation for your location, through the day from a satellite perspective as well as being able to feedback actual data from your location.
 
shreds said:
I use the Darksky app. Very similar and normally pretty accurate ("it will commence raining in 15 minutes", and it does). :)

It will do run throughs of cloud and precipitation for your location, through the day from a satellite perspective as well as being able to feedback actual data from your location.
Click to expand...

Does it work outside of the UK?
 
cymruchris said:
Does it work outside of the UK?
Click to expand...
I can see some of the tropical storm some US friends are experiencing at the mo and ok in Ireland but it seems to depend on where there is radar coverage. It will give all the other data Worldwide including cloud coverage, but does seem UK and US focussed.
 
Yeh that seems to be the problem - most apps and data seem to cover the UK and the USA - but not a lot more... the meteoblue link actually seems quite good - will have to see how accurate it is in a real world test :)
 
It's not the most intuitive layout but calsky.com is another astronomy resource that'll give a cloud cover estimate for the coming week.
 
The W said:
It's not the most intuitive layout but calsky.com is another astronomy resource that'll give a cloud cover estimate for the coming week.
Click to expand...
Thanks - looks pretty complicated.... Have had a few clicks around - think the other one mentioned above looks a little more promising for an idiot like me :)
 
The Poseidon forecast is pretty good for Greece. Without knowing where you are at the moment, it's hard to offer more local advice!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top