Anyone here from the Met Office

[iangrant]

We have HMCG, we have MDL, what about the Met Office..

Just wondered if they would like to comment on last weekends' forecast --

Selsey Bill to lyme Regis - Saturday - nearly right, Sunday well I never, the forecast Force 5 - 7 SE.. Rain gloom moderate to rough - ACTUAL = NNW force 3/4 bright sunshine viz past the horizon, sea state smooth..

Poor old HMCG having to read that lot out..

As for the Met Office web site excuses in their FAQ - well it's a old forecast etc.. that doesn't wash I'm afraid..

Not that the forecast is normally inaccurate, is it???


Ian

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[jimi]

Rather have it that way round though ... keeps the water clear and a nice bit of serendipity/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Col]

No, but I know of a lurker who works for met office.
(When you going to register John?)

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[tony_brighton]

We decided not to sail on the weekend on the strength of the met Office forecast and were very unimpressed that Sunday was such a good sailing day. Are there independant stats on forecast accuracy? I got the distinct impression over the last year or so that it was getting less accurate. Also, the forecast on broadcast TV is now woefully inadequate, consisting basically of whether to take your brolly out with you today and no trend analysis at all.

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[vyv_cox]

I find it very difficult to understand why the Met Office considers the British public so incapable of understanding even basic information, when it is clear that Americans take a great deal of interest in their weather and understand many of its complexities. The Weather Channel is always interesting, if repetitive over a period of more than an hour or so, and carries some highly informative feature programmes. Whenever the BBC shows feature type programmes from the Met office they seem to be basic and flashy with no real content. The TV forecasts are now close to useless for anything except predictions of sunshine.

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[peterb]

Hear, hear.

Traditionally, weather is one of the commonest conversation topics in the UK. Yet very few people know even the most basic meteorology (yachtsmen and airmen excepted). Every month the BBC show a programme on astronomy (The Sky at Night), even though far fewer people have any interest. Why can't they show a similar programme on the month's weather? And pick up some of the features using, perhaps, good animation to show frontal behaviour or the effects of varying lapse rate? Do you think there would be any interest?

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[BrendanS]

Great idea. With modern technology, it would be wonderful to see fronts moving across the country in 3-d with appopriate explanation. This would be educational TV at it's best.

Can you remember when the BBC played around with the idea of removing isobars and fronts from their forecasts on the basis that no one understood them.

Soon came back, but only for major forecasts, most of the TV forecasts these days are completely noddy, which means that youngsters of today won't be exposed to proper weather charts.

This surely means that in future, almost no one will now what these charts mean, so they'll all be removed and replaced with smiley sun symbols <s>



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[Jacket]

Just wait. A few more years and sea forecasts will have all useful information removed. In its place will be little pictures of yachts. The number of reefs they've got in will indicate wind strength, the tack they're on will give you wind direction, and whether or not the crew are wearing oilskins will indicate sea state.

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[vyv_cox]

I've posted this before and I swear it's true. A few years ago we had Ian MacCaskill to talk at the sailing club. In conversation afterwards he told me that several of the newer TV presenters arrived at the Met Office from university with no knowledge whatsoever of synoptic charts. They used to send these people to the RAF for a "refresher course"

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[martinwoolwich]

Re: Very Interesting Thread

I'm fairly new to boating (just completed my second season), and I'm amazed how easy it is to get some rudimentary training, knowledge or experience in almost every facet except weather. I've been on these forums and asked where I can get some formal training (at novice level) no-one could help (other than get in touch with the Met office, RYA etc, none of which turned out to be able to help). My dayskipper course spent less than 5 minutes covering weather - on the basis that covering the subject properly could take up a week, so better to cover nothing than just a little. I've been recommended books, most of which I've bought but find overly complex or assumes a pre-knowledge of the basic terminology and concepts - combined with the fact that I'm much better at learning through example, discussion and demonstration than I am at just reading and trying to fathom out what's going on.

The only practical advice I've been given (and I don't know if it's true), is that this subject is covered very well in the coastal skipper course. Trouble is I don't think I've got quite enough experience to go on that one yet.

I can't be the only one. Surely there must be a need for some sort of structured training in the basics of weather for people like me. The idea of a series on TV or even better a weather channel would certainly get my support.

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[bedouin]

Ah - you mean like the BBC Marine forecasts?

When first launched these distilled the entire complexity of weather (wind force and direction, rain, sea state, visibility...) into a single number between 1 and 100.

I wonder if they are still going - they were so useless I haven't checked recently

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[iangrant]

Re: Very Interesting Thread

Martin
Try a book called "weather at Sea" a consultation with the RYA book.. Best one I've found, loads of pictures to make sense of a very complex subject..

Ian

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[iangrant]

Bedouin
You can't call the BBC useless on this forum, Kims' lawers will all start twitching (again)

;-)

Ian

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[Twister_Ken]

Better still...

...at last a use for the RCD.

"Today's weather will only be suitable for recreational craft in categories A and B. All other vessels should remain firmly attached to the pontoons in the caravan park."

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[bedouin]

Ha!

I've just checked the BBC site and they seem to have abandoned those really useful marine forecasts they used to do

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[BrendanS]

Re: Training

Contact this lot and ask for Simon:

Weather Consultancy Services Ltd / Flying High Weather Ltd
The Weather Centre, 188 Common Road, Wombourne, Staffordshire, England. WV5 0LT.
Tel: 08700 738 100 Fax: 01902 895242 email: office@weatherweb.net

Simon was organising a weather training weekend for mariners on the IoW. Don't know if it came off.


For those that don't know, Simon puts out a free sailing forecast by email every Thursday that covers Friday to Sunday. Just email:
wcsmarine-subscribe@topica.com
and you'll get a forecast emailed to you every week

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: Very Interesting Thread

A lot of my knowledge of weather came from Mountain Leadership training. At that time, quite a few years ago, the weather literature available in books for these courses was excellent. I imagine there are still plenty of sources for these.

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[chriscallender]

I did notice on BBC (news 24 I think), a much better weather forecast recently. There was a forecaster who using weather chart explained the forecast for a certain day, but then said that the confidence of getting it right was quite low, and gave the reasons why it was a difficult day to forecast. Could even have been for last Sunday, I don't remember as my boat was out the water until yesterday and was taking no interest in weather forecasts!

Anyway he was a lot more helpful than putting up a map with the usual couple of fluffy clouds and load of waffle. So if this is a sign of things to come on BBC, maybe they are improving.

Chris

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[vyv_cox]

I wish I shared your optimism! Have you seen the new temperature chart predictions? Like green lollipops. Clever graphics that rotates the UK and makes the lollipops look 3D, but the substance seems to trend ever downwards.

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[jimi]

IMHO the only way to do it is to get the weather charts and make your own prediction taking into account predictions from other sources.

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