franksingleton
Well-Known Member
I have now checked. Met Office sea state forecasts are a combined swell plus wind-sea effects.
Sea State
- Thread starter NormanS
- Start date
I have now checked. Met Office sea state forecasts are a combined swell plus wind-sea effects.
Dougie_the_Mate
Well-Known Member
' don't forget a long weather broadcast also takes Ch67 aerials away from us for that length of time'
Channel67 - I didn't know they did the weather forecasts on Celtic T.V.
Channel67 - I didn't know they did the weather forecasts on Celtic T.V.
Amulet
Well-Known Member
I think you have to give them a bit of grace. The IWF is up to 12 miles off shore. For me that's quite a long way out. Here on the East Coast the sea state near the shore is much influenced by devilish tide streams at entrances and headlands, combined with shallow water. It can scare the bejesus out of you half a mile off shore when actually the seas are pretty well organised five miles out. I think you have to apply a bit of the old common sense (if any is to hand) and local knowledge (ditto). You can't expect them to tell you that the Deben Bar is going to be a bit challenging while the general sea state is moderate - you have to work some things out for yourself.
I'm much more pi55ed off about the range of some forecasts - e.g., 3-4, locally 5, occasionaly 6. That's 3-6! fer Christ's sake. Also I hate the phrase "for a time" as in "increasing 7 for a time." What bl00dy time? I called them about this. apparently it means that if you do get "7" it means you can expect it to diminish again - WHEN?
I'm much more pi55ed off about the range of some forecasts - e.g., 3-4, locally 5, occasionaly 6. That's 3-6! fer Christ's sake. Also I hate the phrase "for a time" as in "increasing 7 for a time." What bl00dy time? I called them about this. apparently it means that if you do get "7" it means you can expect it to diminish again - WHEN?
awol
Well-Known Member
But what is the difference between "occasional rain" and "showers"?
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Shades of John Humphreys!
Essentially, it is the nature of the rain. Is it convective - showers with the possibility of gusts? Is it occasional rain, eg a rather weak front without much in the way of gusts.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
Have you really never been out there with winds anything from F3 to F6?
There are many days when writing a 24 hour forecast for a stretch of coast when it is simply not possible to do other than use words such as "at times" or "here and there" or "locally"
BrendanS
Well-Known Member
It follows a format, and once you know the format, is very easy to understand
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/newmedia/datafeed/uk_shipping.html#format
So
WIND DIRECTION/SPEED: SEA STATE: WEATHER: VISIBILITY: (SHIP ICING IF APPROPRIATE)
Amulet
Well-Known Member
Yeah I admit it. You're right. Again a bit of common sense. I remember sitting all morning through an 8-13 knots, gusting 33 knots forecast. Sunshine and perfect sailing weather. Eventually I said 33 knots my ar5e, and off we went. Guess what - we got 33 knots.
Even dropped my wife overboard - did pick her up again.
Rigger Mortice
N/A
From http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/m/m/factsheet08.pdf
"• Rain – liquid precipitation from layer cloud (of size over 500 microns).
• Sleet – snow and rain falling together or snow melting as it falls.
• Showers – solid or liquid precipitation from a convection (as opposed to layer) cloud"
alan_d
Well-Known Member
They mean that over the period covered by the forecast the sea state is smooth or slight in shelter, presumably because there is not a pre-existing swell from earlier or distant bad weather.
franksingleton
Well-Known Member
This year on passage from Ria Cedeira to Viveiro, we had F5 approaching Capo Ortegal, decreased to F4, then up to F7 approaching Capo Bares then F8 until well in Ria Viveiro.
The forecast was for F 3-4 and the Spanish often do mention these headlands specifically, Using GRIBs, I was expecting up to F6.
