Weather Apps/Sites

[drewzilla]

I know this has been asled before but hopfully there are some new apps/sites.

Just looking for a astro weather forecast preferably by post code so i can check my dark sites that are away from home. Ive been using 7timer website which is pretty good. But its let me down twice now within a couple of weeks!! Told me it was going to be clear when it wasnt!

So im just looking to see what other people use? P

Cheers

[ismangil]

Met Office

Meteoblue

Meteoradar

In that order.

[SilverSeadog]

You could try Accuweather. They have an hourly forecast for whatever location you choose. But I do think that most sites don't perform to 100%

[StuW]

I use http://www.theweathe... forecasts.aspx

Make sure Astronomy is selected in the dropdown on the right then enter your postcode and click 16 day forcast

[knobby]

Astropanel is OK for an android device, shows iss positions also!

[Capricorn]

Metcheck does it by postcode, just enter the first part and it will display what it thinks the weather is likely to be. Also it gives you the Lat and Long of the postcode. That bit is useful if you are away from your normal location and need to know the new position for a goto or similar.

Thing is all have their own idea of the weather, I used 3 one day and had 4 different forecasts - Metcheck managed to have the new summary at the top saying one thing and the detail half a page down saying another, they updated their site some weeks ago. Find you need to read 3 or 4 then determine a general consences of them all.

I would not make a solid plan based on any weather site, I live in an area known for localised fog and can get relitively heavy fog at home and it is clear 4-5 miles away.

[drewzilla]

thanks for the responses peeps. Seems there is nothing better than using your own set of eyes really! But thanks for all the aditional sites.

[CSM]

I've kept weather records for over 50 years and have had a wireless weather station for the past 6. I'm afraid that all the claims which the Met make regarding improvements in accuracy are more to do with funding than reality. One big problem nowadays is that the computer model forecasts are constantly being updated. Because our weather is so changeable this leads to constantly changing forecasts. You can look online in the morning and find that it is going to be fine in the evening. Look again in the afternoon and it may well have changed. I sympathise with their problems as even a small change in wind direction can mean that the north gets it rather than the south, or vice versa. But I don't think their presentation does them any favours.

As for us astronomers, the only thing is to use our eyes and, like good Scouts, 'Be Prepared'. Just in case.

[James]

I use Weatherforyou on my phone which I've found reasonable. They claim multiple updates per hour as being a good thing and the app does indeed update several times per hour but this can lead to a clear night prediction at 6pm becoming a cloudy night prediction at 6.15, then clear prediction at 6.30 and so on, presumably as some small variable gets updated through their system...

I do like their system for comparing different locations. One of my observing sites is 20 miles away and is in a different weather area - a quick comparison can show me whether home or there will be better.

James

[The Sailor]

I use Sat24, this uses a satellite image every 15 minutes, can be speeded up x4 and this gives a good indication of the cloud cover moving. The screen can also be zoomed in to your location, daytime viewing is normal but IR feature for night is available. This is 100% accurate to show countrywide cloud cover but not 100% for a few local clouds or fog. Have used this since I started this hobby and found it reliable.

Jim

[foundaplanet]

I use Sat24, this uses a satellite image every 15 minutes, can be speeded up x4 and this gives a good indication of the cloud cover moving. The screen can also be zoomed in to your location, daytime viewing is normal but IR feature for night is available. This is 100% accurate to show countrywide cloud cover but not 100% for a few local clouds or fog. Have used this since I started this hobby and found it reliable.

Jim

Same here.It's the only one I bother with, makes it simple on the day.... strong chance, bit of a chance or no chance!

I can't do the looking forwards to next Tuesday and Saturday on predictions.

[ismangil]

I use Sat24, this uses a satellite image every 15 minutes, can be speeded up x4 and this gives a good indication of the cloud cover moving. The screen can also be zoomed in to your location, daytime viewing is normal but IR feature for night is available. This is 100% accurate to show countrywide cloud cover but not 100% for a few local clouds or fog. Have used this since I started this hobby and found it reliable.

Jim

I think it's the base for Meteoradar.

Unfortunately their Android app sucks... Workable but could be better.

[The Sailor]

Fortunately I don't have an Android and my PC app rocks, really like it, just looking at it now it tells me that there is broken cloud heading south towards me. I have just been outside and it's almost clear skies, just a few puffballs around, exactly as Sat23 shows .

Jim

[m12_shakes]

I use Scope Nights app (iOS), it gives information on cloud cover, moon, temp, humidity etc. nice simple app...

[JamesM]

+1 for Sat24 but to be honest like many above, the forecast accuracy is as variable as the weather given that we live on an island and I think CSM above best summed up my thoughts on the matter - use your eyes. :grin:

Clear skies

James

[Redpaul]

Another vote for Scope Nights on iOS. Here's a screenshot.

Paul