BBC Forecast vs reality

[rogerroger]

It was recommend to me a while back that I use the BBC 5 day forecast for sailing.

The forecast for today (Sunday) for Chichester - the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=3153&links) gives a wind speed of 18 MPh ( so about 15 knots?)

Looking at the real time info from the Chichester bar beacon (http://194.217.234.16/report.htm) I see that as of 09:30 it's blowing 24 knots, gusting up to 30.

I'm not knocking the BBC, just warning that it's clear the forecast is for the inland area and so bears little relation to the wind on the coast.

Roger Holden
www.first-magnitude.co.uk

 

[DoctorD]

Dead right. I do not bother with those BBC forecasts now. I find the French met office (!) give more accurate readings for windspeed and direction for Southampton over five days than any BBC site (www.meteo.fr). They were certainly reasonably accurate this last weekend when it was pretty blowy in the Solent.