bdh198
Well-Known Member
I have to confess that I very rarely listen to the shipping forecast for my weather information when I’m going to be at sea (instead I’ll use the met office website as well as sites like windfinder/windguru), and if I happen to catch it when not going to sea I usually zone out after the general synopses. However, I caught it the other day and started thinking about its content and was surprised to hear no mention of the sea state. I’m used to getting sea state information from the met office website included in both the shipping forecast and the inshore waters forecast and had assumed it was information read out as part of the radio broadcast. I’m also sure I’ve heard sea state being read out in the past (possibly years ago).
I’ve tried to do some online research to find out about the inclusion of sea state information in the broadcast, and there is virtually nothing. Wikipedia (the site for absolute beginners) suggests it is read out as part of the area forecasts (which it isn’t). Another site said that the sea state has only been provided by the met office since 2006, but then that is contradicted by a shipping forecasts I’ve come across from pre-2006 that included sea state information. I’m now very confused and feel like I’m going slightly mad as I’m sure in the past I‘ve heard it as part of the broadcast! It’s possible I’m getting confused with what I’ve heard in the maritime safety information broadcast as I’ve certainly heard sea state information there. However, there is no reliable mention online of it ever being part of the broadcast, having ever being taken out of the broadcast or when it was first included in the forecast.
Has sea state ever been part of the Radio 4 broadcast? If not, why not? I know they try to follow a strict 350 word limit in the broadcast, but I would have thought that sea state is more useful information than whether it is going to be ‘rain’ or ‘showers’. There‘s bound to be something really simple and obvious that I‘ve missed and if anyone can share that information to stop me feeling like I’m going mad it will be greatly appreciated!
P.S. Wikipedia says:
“Each area's forecast is then read out. Several areas may be combined into a single forecast where the conditions are expected to be similar. Wind direction is given first, then strength (on the Beaufort scale), sea state, followed by precipitation, if any, and (usually) lastly visibility.”
Google Earth Community says:
”...although the Met Office have been issuing Sea State reports (rough, calm, moderate, etc) for each Sea Area since 2006 - information which might conceivably be handy for a mariner to know - there is no room in the tight structure to fit it in.”
I’ve tried to do some online research to find out about the inclusion of sea state information in the broadcast, and there is virtually nothing. Wikipedia (the site for absolute beginners) suggests it is read out as part of the area forecasts (which it isn’t). Another site said that the sea state has only been provided by the met office since 2006, but then that is contradicted by a shipping forecasts I’ve come across from pre-2006 that included sea state information. I’m now very confused and feel like I’m going slightly mad as I’m sure in the past I‘ve heard it as part of the broadcast! It’s possible I’m getting confused with what I’ve heard in the maritime safety information broadcast as I’ve certainly heard sea state information there. However, there is no reliable mention online of it ever being part of the broadcast, having ever being taken out of the broadcast or when it was first included in the forecast.
Has sea state ever been part of the Radio 4 broadcast? If not, why not? I know they try to follow a strict 350 word limit in the broadcast, but I would have thought that sea state is more useful information than whether it is going to be ‘rain’ or ‘showers’. There‘s bound to be something really simple and obvious that I‘ve missed and if anyone can share that information to stop me feeling like I’m going mad it will be greatly appreciated!
P.S. Wikipedia says:
“Each area's forecast is then read out. Several areas may be combined into a single forecast where the conditions are expected to be similar. Wind direction is given first, then strength (on the Beaufort scale), sea state, followed by precipitation, if any, and (usually) lastly visibility.”
Google Earth Community says:
”...although the Met Office have been issuing Sea State reports (rough, calm, moderate, etc) for each Sea Area since 2006 - information which might conceivably be handy for a mariner to know - there is no room in the tight structure to fit it in.”
