Don't you believe it!

[Demonperformer]

clearoutside is saying zero cloud for me from Wed evening through Saturday night (as far as it goes so far). But they have made promises like that before! 

[DaveS]

I suspect that's just because they don't have enough data yet.

[johninderby]

The local BBC forecast is just giving partly cloudy for those days. Unfortunately I seem to live in the cloudy part. 🤣

[Star101]

I have seen the forecast be for clear skies for days ahead only to see the clouds roll in as the sun sets each time.

I look forward to the forecast clear skies each and every time but I always expect clouds at sunset. This way, if it stays cleay, its a win. 

Just now checking the Clearoutside site and yes, I too have clear skies from Wednesday for the rest of the week....Funny, as last night when I checked, it was cloud until Friday!! 

Its the weather, it has the chance of un-expectantly changing, especially here in the UK.  

[Tomjo59]

Has anybody noticed that the forecast on the BBC Weather site changes virtually by the hour?

Almost as if they stick their heads out of the window, and think ‘we got it wrong, better change the forecast quick’.

Very unreliable beyond the current day.

[johninderby]

 

Edited June 23, 2019 by johninderby

[Davey-T]

Not so BBC  Radio Kent, they appear to put out the same recorded forecast all day regardless, they can be forecasting sun when it's been chucking it down for hours, perhaps they haven't got any windows  

At 8.0clock this morning it forecast sunny and clouding over this afternoon but it was already cloudy and it's still cloudy and they've just given out the same forecast again 

Dave

[Craney]

With the BBC met office prediction I have noticed a "Midnight"  step change.

So it could be partially cloudy up to midnight, then wallop!,  beautifully clear from midnight onwards....   or vice versa.  Midnight, seems to be a magical turning point.

I suspect it is to do with the forecasting programs that uses current data for the 'local' hours, but reverts back to a longer term forecast ( which has been there for a few days)  for anything that goes over a change of date....... unless something suggests a radical departure from the expected...  ie.   1987.

[johninderby]

I give you the local weather from the BBC and a photo just taken. Spot the difference. 😁

[david_taurus83]

From Wednesday onwards it's supposed to be red hot. So no good for imaging. I'm waiting until the end of July now anyway to image again. Jupiter is starting to peep above the roofs opposite around 10.30pm now so I'm looking forward to observing that for the next month.

[MarsG76]

3 hours ago, Demonperformer said:

clearoutside is saying zero cloud for me from Wed evening through Saturday night (as far as it goes so far). But they have made promises like that before! 

Clear multiple nights?? Sounds sus....

 

[DaveS]

Haha, CA is showing clear all night for Wed, Thu, Fri, and Sat, with a nearly new moon?

Yeah, right. Flying pigs an' all that.

[lenscap]

Calling a UK based weather app "Clear Outside" is just unrealistic.

We should ask our transatlantic cousins if we can borrow their handle & rename the app "Cloudy Nights"

At least the title would be correct most of the time even if the forecast was as unreliable as ever. 😀

[NGC 1502]

 

Cloud cover forecasts are so frustrating, as this thread confirms.  Like most of us I do look at them, usually 3 for my location, and do my best to form an opinion, especially as the forecasts often conflict, and are not even correct for the current hour.....

If two or more forecasts agree and are correct for the current hour, I start to take notice. As I’m the person for my local club who arranges dark site visits this is particularly important for me because I give the go / no go decision on my clubs email group. If confirming a visit I usually add something like “best guess is for clear skies” or “50/50 call” or “please check the forecasts yourself to decide if its worth coming” and of course leave it as late as possible before confirming or cancelling.

So far this year most confirmed visits have been worthwhile, but even so it’s tough to get many to turn up, usually just the hard core observers, even when I make it obvious that members can do imaging too, as they know I’m confirmed visual and low tech......

Just do your best and hope.......and I plead forgiveness if I cancel and it turns out crystal clear all night......😫

Ed.

 

 

[Alan White]

This is a common point of discussion between myself and Ed above.
What hope do we all have when the weather says it is clear now, 
you then look outside and its thick cloud and raining!

As Ed says and I fully agree >

13 minutes ago, NGC 1502 said:

Just do your best and hope.......

 

[barkis]

For all the aids they have these days to help us anticipate  the weather in the various local areas,
I can say our local soothsayer on Border TV should look for another line of work, or probably
work in his allotment full time.I don't know where his information comes from, but they are feeding him 
duff stuff. The reports are invariably unreliable, so I will consult a local Farmer in future. that's If Cumbria
has any of those guys left, since Agriculture has been decimated  around here.
Perhaps I will just hang a Fir Cone outside, and rely on that for guidance.😖

Ron.

[david_taurus83]

Sat24 is good for seeing 3 hours in advance. You can see the cloud banks or clear patches move in from the west.