tonight will be very cold

Stick a weather-station on your Birthday Present list then John Handy thing to have your own figures, rather than those of someone nearby with slightly different micro-climate.

 

I've stopped using them because they have been down so much. If they can't fix issues on their website in a reasonable time period, and prevent the site going down frequently, I don't have any confidence in their ability to collate and interpret the data streams and models. If they are missing a feed maybe the software just ignores it and no one there actually cares that data quality is poor.

 

Here's one for John

Today's Weather in Guildford - weather.co.uk

 

Pah! Sorry but I strongly disagree. If they aren't able to predict with some certainty then don't do it at all (or only offer it to interested parties who understand the issues).

I'm fed up with the papers boosting sales by irresponsibly publishing the most outrageous figures that they can find from the assembled crop of Charlatans

I started keeping a spreadsheet a few days ago of the figures quoted for each of the next 5 days to see how much they change over the 5 days and how much they differ from reality, I'll post them when I have collected a week or two's figures

 

Kristen I was merely pointing out that the temperature varies at one end of my garden to the other.
Therefore expecting an accurate temperature forecast from the met office, for your area, or anyone else for that matter is a bit "pie in the sky".

Too many variables to take into account.
5 day forecasts are only a rough guide as to what is going on and should be treated as such, especially when referring to max and min temperatures.


As for newspapers, well read them at your peril, I doubt it boosts sales, but it gives them something to write about, I dont think I would want to try and fill all that space every day.:D

One thing that really winds me up is "windchill" a totally pointless statement and I ignore it whenever I see it.

 

It's still mild here. 6C all day and this evening at 9pm it's up to 8C.

 

been snowing here in cambridge tonight

 

This just proves what's going on weather wise Sheal and *dim*, so it must be very tricky to get a temperature forecast right.

 

To be fair what chance have they got,to many variables,only needs a butterfly to flap its wings and all that.
This vid from bbc news explains quite a bit,I think you would need a 3d thermometer!
BBC News - What conditions cause freezing rain?

 

Yes, I agree with that, and that can create a discrepancy with even an "accurate" forecast.

My gripe is the huge variability of the 5 day forecast from day to day over the 5 days.

In the last week the number of "Its going to be mega cold" figures that were bandied about (including on the Met office website) that just did not materialise anywhere in the UK makes a mockery of the huge amount of money that is put in. I mean ... I might as well stick a wet finger in the air, make a prediction, and charge the nation nothing for it ...

On the 7th my area was forecast (short range, not long range) between -4C - -5C, we got -7.5C and looking at Wunderground the following morning there were plenty of places around here that were significantly lower. Lot of difference in what I would bother to protect at -5C and a temperature that was several degrees below that.

And the TV forecasters have been saying "These temperatures are for the towns and cities, rural areas could be significantly lower" and they then talk about anything up to 10C lower - is the town really 10C warmer than the countryside? (barring the notorious frost hollow or somesuch ...) ... I'm struggling to believe that one and "stinks" like covering-front-back-and-both-sides to me.

"As for newspapers, well read them at your peril ..."

Indeed ... and I have voted with my feet and don't.

"One thing that really winds me up is "windchill" a totally pointless statement and I ignore it whenever I see it."

Dunno about "see it" ... I feel it some days when I venture outside !

 

Temperatures are likely to drop away again over the weekend.
Saturday morning looks like -10 c for some parts of the uk.
Duvets on what is going to be a cold un again.

 

Have all the townies all gone super insulated?!