I want a job as a weatherman.

[spaceboy]

Thursday I check the nice new MET Office web site to see when we are due a break in the cloud. Saturday all night yeah I even fell for the flash new map they have with the little half moons over my little blot on the landscape. Come Saturday night and it's horizon to horizon cloud

If I made mistakes like that when I was welding stringers I would have a few **** off fitters when they came to installing them.

Seems you can't go far wrong being a weatherman as if you get it wrong you blame it on mother nature. Still get that pay check at the end of the week no mater what.

[tich]

They said we were in for a clear night tonight here too, I was looking forward to trying out my new hyperions but like you there's cloud everywhere so not a happy chap!

[hunterknox]

Go find a bookmaker who will let you bet against them. Invest your wages. Let us know how well you do.

[eddy]

Clear as a whistle here in the midlands, albeit a little windy....

[tony]

last nights forcast was partly cloudy, no rain forcast. didnt set up anyway, just as well i didn't as it chucked down with rain from about 11pm onwards.

[pete_l]

Actually, I've found the forecast is surprisingly accurate at predicting the temperature. It's just that it's hopeless at predicting sun/cloud/precipitation.

In most parts of Britian, the long range forecast could be made a lot more accurate simply by NOT trying to make weather models, and work out what will happen. If the forecast for every day past "tomorrow" was set to sunny intervals during the summer and cloudy from October - April, they'd improve their average accuracy a great deal.

But where's the fun in that?

[Polar Bear]

When will they learn that a small island sat on the eastern edge of the Atlantic will get very variable and quickly changing weather. They only get it right when there is a massive high pressure sat over mainland Europe. And speak of the devil Derren Betts has just appeared on weather view....

As for tonight , pristine skies here in Lancashire since 6.00pm

Paul

[spaceboy]

OK I'll hold my hands up and admit I jumped the gun a little in my eagerness. It had forecast clear skies from 19:00 onwards in my region and these finally arrived 6 hrs late at 01:00 this morning until the sun rose at 05:45 and it was time to pack up. The seeing was not the best but the visibility was good allowing for a satisfying MK1 eyeball look on the heavens. In the M13 & M57 were sat nicely over head which allowed for some magnification but Saturn was like looking in an agitated puddle. So the weathermen kind of got it right but you still wouldn't want to pay for that level of service.

[kenmyers]

On a side note... anyone else have a hosepipe ban? It's pi***ng it down and has been for a few days but the weatherman tells me its dry and clear...

[spaceboy]

:D weathermen they crack me up

[cotterless45]

If you are unfortunate to watch most tv forecasts;

the South is always featured heavily,seems Skintland is getting smaller,

the daytime forecast is given, then a quick flip

over to the morning,Sky News seems more interested in the ski report,

nice, Nick.

[iwatkins]

So the weathermen kind of got it right but you still wouldn't want to pay for that level of service.

But if you do pay for it, you do get a *much* better level of service. Some of the specialised short term forecasts are mega accurate.

But if you rely on the public forecasts, which incidentally are not bad, then you'll get a less accurate forecast.

If you really want the best forecast for the nights viewing at your location, you really need to either pay for it, or learn meteorology from scratch. It is very rewarding once you have the basics down, to use data freely available from the Internet to make your own forecast. This then allows you to decide whether to setup.

E.g. For Observing, I'm happy with low transparency but good seeing and about 60% cloud cover and view through the gaps. For planetary imaging it's the same but about 40% cloud cover depending on wind speed. For DSO imaging I'm happy with fair seeing and good transparency and no more than 10% cloud cover.

You will never get that kind of info. from a free forecast from anyone. As I say, pay for one, or learn how to do it yourself.

Cheers

Ian

[spaceboy]

God dam it. That'll teach me to curse weathermen!

Like a cartoon cloud that just sits over you while every where else is clear.

[swamp thing]

I predict tomorrows weather by looking at today's and thinking it will probably be similar. This I've found works much better than any forecast.

With this method you'll be right much more than wrong.

Not vey scientific but hey ho!

Regards Steve

[twotter]

On a side note... anyone else have a hosepipe ban? It's pi***ng it down and has been for a few days but the weatherman tells me its dry and clear...

Don't think of it as rain, instead think of it as 'anti-drought measures'.

[spaceboy]

Last night/ this morning was another perfect example. I admit to being too lazy to check outside and instead checked the forecast at 22:30- 23:00 on MET and cloud for the next couple of nights. Decided to go to bed but thought I'd stick my head out the window just in case. CLEAR and was until 03:00. The seeing wasn't the best but the transparency was very good. I really didn't want to give up but I was struggling to focus on things in the ep as I was so tired. I'm glad they did get this one wrong.

[kenmyers]

Don't think of it as rain, instead think of it as 'anti-drought measures'.

HAHA

So dark last night. Pitch black. Couldn't see my hand in front of my face. No stars. No moon. No electricity. Perfect for viewing but ruined by clouds

[JamesM]

But if you do pay for it, you do get a *much* better level of service. Some of the specialised short term forecasts are mega accurate.

But if you rely on the public forecasts, which incidentally are not bad, then you'll get a less accurate forecast.

Sorry Ian, I thought we already paid for this 'service' out of our taxes. It seems we have yet again another public funded organisation that is paid for by the public but thinks its is a private enterprise - thought the DVLA was bad enough. The best forecast that works every time is the one you can see out of your bedroom before setting up!

James

[iwatkins]

Sorry Ian, I thought we already paid for this 'service' out of our taxes. It seems we have yet again another public funded organisation that is paid for by the public but thinks its is a private enterprise - thought the DVLA was bad enough. The best forecast that works every time is the one you can see out of your bedroom before setting up!

James

Sorry James, but that is a misconception. The Met Office is a trading fund and has been for a long time. Funding comes from customers in the main, not the tax payer.

[Mr Spock]

I suspect being a weatherman is much like being a football referee - a thankless task.

Meteorology isn't quite an exact science, and forecasts can change rapidly. Plus there's the non scientific fact that where ever I go, a cloud is sure to follow...

[spaceboy]

Don't get me wrong Mr Spock I agree it must be difficult to predict mother nature but it isn't like they haven't been doing this a while and have a lot invested in it. Friday showed cloud from coast to coast yet when I did go out there was not a cloud in sight all night. It was still clear when I gave up at 3am. I admit I always check Sat24 and even this showed cloud and this is supposed to be real time cloud cover observation. This was no patch in the cloud and my point was that if I made a similar error in judgement in a regular 9-5 I would be getting a written warning.

[Dunkster]

Given all their computation power, you'd think their models would be a little more accurate. It's not like the weather never changes here

I'd be similarly dragged over the coals...

[SteveNickolls]

No, the map was right but it shows the weather above the clouds :-) Before I knew they used satellites I knew it was the satellites' fault.