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Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: glow777 on April 21, 2007, 20:54:26

Title: Weather who to trust
Post by: glow777 on April 21, 2007, 20:54:26
I look daily at the bbc and metcheck weather sites and there is usually a quite a difference. Is there any other sites that people tust.

eg metcheck often shows frost (including one on May 7th on the long range fc. :o) where the BBC doesnt.

Today there was a 6 degree difference between the bbc and metcheck for my post code :o

I think one of the problems is that the sites dont give weather for my post code but for the neaest (or any local) city eg BBC does Derby which is 35miles south and has significantly less altitude

anyone any better sites?
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: valmarg on April 22, 2007, 00:06:16
We log in to the BBC Weather Centre site.  You can put in the nearest small town, and it gives you forecasts for the next five days.  We find it reasonably accurate.
valmarg
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: cambourne7 on April 22, 2007, 00:12:00
i use

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=CB4

if you amend the start of the post code at the end of the URL with the first half of yours you can get a good weather review
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: glow777 on April 22, 2007, 07:37:59
ta both of you - those are the two that I am using

but both conflict ie have different ideas & metcheck only seems to be accurate to 3 days at best
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: sarah on April 22, 2007, 07:50:23


theres this one
http://ukie.accuweather.com/ukie/uk-city-list.asp?partner=accuweather&postalcode=BH4%209

i have used it a couple of times and it seems pretty good. but i am on the south coast its not easy to get it wrong.
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: Tee Gee on April 22, 2007, 17:58:38
I don't bother too much with weather checks I just take what comes.

In terms of when to plant out my two barometers are the daffodils I have in a frost pocket and my neighbours copper beech hedge.
That is I plant out roughly six weeks after the flowers have died of (they are still flowering)

My neighbours copper beech hedge is covered in dry brown leaves when it sheds its brown leaves the new growth appears over night I consider that OK to plant out the hardiest of my stuff progressing to less hardy stuff over the next three weeks.

The hedge is brown!!
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: Jeannine on April 22, 2007, 18:06:12
I like this , it sounds like the village mass communication media set up. A note on the telegraph pole at the end of the lane. XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: Trevor_D on April 23, 2007, 07:25:49
Quote from: Tee Gee on April 22, 2007, 17:58:38

My neighbours copper beech hedge is covered in dry brown leaves when it sheds its brown leaves the new growth appears over night I consider that OK to plant out the hardiest of my stuff progressing to less hardy stuff over the next three weeks.


The copper beech tree that overhangs the end of our garden usually comes out in the first week of May. I'll keep a sharp eye on it: I think it might be early this year!
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: mikey on April 23, 2007, 12:35:36

We use the BBC site, below, just enter your own Post Code.

We find it is very accurate for this location, our area forecast is apparently made at RAF Waddington, just South of Lincoln (+/- 14 miles from us as the Crow flies)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?id=2573

Mikey
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: RobinOfTheHood on April 23, 2007, 16:32:47
I'm another one that finds the bbc more accurate than metcheck, at least in the short term.

However, both are much better than www.weather.co.uk , which seems to believe that I live under a permanent raincloud!
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: Multiveg on April 23, 2007, 16:48:37
Both of them I want to scream at - BBC - well, nearest weather station apparently is 5 miles away - the longitude and latitude given place the weather station in Northern Ireland. Am, about 7 miles from Bangor (Wales, not Northern Ireland).

Metcheck said that we'd have heavy rain last Monday. Ok, we had 15 mins of fine light rain, but that was it.
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: greenstar on April 23, 2007, 17:43:08
Even the met office say that they can't accurately predict weather more than 24 hours in advance.  Long range forecasts are mostly bunkum - they're just predicting what is probable. 

I like Tee Gee's method, except that I don't have a handy copper beech at the lottie.  Does it work with hawthorn? Or privet?
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: RobinOfTheHood on April 23, 2007, 19:29:21
Quote from: greenstar on April 23, 2007, 17:43:08
Even the met office say that they can't accurately predict weather more than 24 hours in advance.  Long range forecasts are mostly bunkum - they're just predicting what is probable. 

I like Tee Gee's method, except that I don't have a handy copper beech at the lottie.  Does it work with hawthorn? Or privet?

Or dandelions?   ;D
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: glow777 on April 24, 2007, 07:34:36
by the way is it just me but my metcheck gives a -5 on Wed 9th May but only at midnight - surely some mistake but if it were true that would pretty much wipe me out as by then I will have 4 greenhouses full of frost tender plants and a -5 would penetrate  :-[
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: RobinOfTheHood on April 26, 2007, 14:09:34
I wouldn't worry about it. Treat the 'next 7 days' button as a joke.

Try painting some weather symbols on one dice and some temps on another.
Then give 'em a roll for each day more than 4 ahead of today.  ;D

You'll be closer, I guarantee.
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: Jeannine on April 27, 2007, 23:19:11
Personally I prefer to just trust my kidneys, I get a feeling  in my water when it is going to rain , pain in the right big toe and I know it is going to be sleet, both toes mean snow, migraine means lightening and if I hear thunder I know I have too many green peas.It's as good as the BBC nad better for the body too XX Jeannine
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: caroline7758 on April 28, 2007, 17:10:25
Do let us know when it's going to rain, Jeannine! ;D
Title: Re: Weather who to trust
Post by: bupster on April 29, 2007, 22:45:44
Anybody live in Cambridge got weather sensitive kidneys? ???