weather website or app

[ejp]

Hi guys,

I've been practicing with my telescope for almost two months. So now I want to take my telescope (and girlfriend) out for a field trip outside the city. This requires some planning and one of my concerns is the weather. I'm using some apps and website, but I find them very inaccurate and some of them miss some crucial information, like expected cloudiness. Are there any good websites are apps that you guys use? Can you recommend something?

Thanks!
- Eric

[ronin]

Look at all of them, TV internet, app whatever, then take a good look out a window and make an educated decision/guess.

I use The Weather Outlook but tend to find that they are often a day out if you check say 3-4 days before you plan to go observing.

This week is a good example, Wednesday was supposed to be clear and cloudless when I looked about Saturday.

Now it is Thursday that looks like it will be clear not Wednesday.

They are amazingly good (and consistant) at being 1 day wrong. :eek:

[Night Hawk]

I started using the accuweather astonomy app however I have found the FLO weather app for androind much more accurate,

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/blog/clear-outside-weather-forecasts-for-astronomers.html

[callisto]

All the weather forecasters say in this country (UK) is  "today will be changeable" 

[knobby]

Astro panel on android is OK, meteoblue website and the flo app

[ejp]

Thanks guys for your replies. I checked out most of your suggestion and I have to say I really like the FLO app. I'll be checking that for accuracy this week to get to know the app a little. 
I also liked Ronins suggestion to use some of them to get a more accurate image.This makes a lot of sense.

So thanks guys!

[JonC]

I've just started using the FLO android app as well, has been pretty accurate over the last week or so and helped me get first light on Saturday. Probably wouldn't have bothered if I had relied on the weather over the rest of the day.

[Essex nightsky]

I noticed with the met office weather app the other day, the outlook for a particular time of day was heavy rain but it said chance of precipitation 60%... So by their own words they are only 60% sure of their prediction

[hockaye]

I find that the xcweather forecast is very good that's the one I use when the rain is not bouncing off the windows

[Ruud]

I use Meteoblue.

Here's the seeing forecast for Utrecht: https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/forecast/seeing/utrecht_netherlands_2745912

[Bizibilder]

Sat24 shows you where the clouds are and Weatherspark seems to give reasonable results - both are websites.

[ejp]

Talking about weather.... I'm really getting annoyed the last weeks. It has been cloudy almost every day. Feels like injustice...

[Vega]

Hi Eric

I find that due to local conditions that can have a play, its impossible to find an accurate app or website. I find the best way is to watch over the satellite cloud cover images (both visual and infa-red). If you look at the past few hours, you can see the general direction of travel and behaviour of the cloud and more or less predict what's ahead. If it ties up with most forecasts then it usually serves me well anyway.

I find this site particularly useful for the satellite imagery but you must click on the 'loop' button so you can see the previous few hours and see what direction the cloud is moving (in 15 minute intervals)

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/weather/satellite/UK.htm

and to prevent ruining your kit with rain, always check this site...  http://www.raintoday.co.uk

Cheers

Matt