druffuk Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Hey Guys, Just wanted to ask everyone what websites they use to get weather forecasts from?? At the moment I tend to use Metcheck and more recently the Metoffice but I am finding that the forecasts are vastly different. For example, today Metcheck says the wind will be 4mph with gusts of 5mph. However, Metoffice say winds of 6mph with gusts of 17mph. Which is the most accurate?? What should I base my decision on?? Any thoughts and insights would be greatly received. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Try joining the Met Ofice, its free and you can see aviation forecasts, balloning forecasts and a raft of others. For winds and a whole lot more try XC Weather. Look to synoptic charts from any source to give you an idea what is coming. You might even try here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huffhuff Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Predictwind.com is also very good but you have to pay. I've been finding xcweather a bit off recently. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcusFlyer Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I pay a subscription to www.wendywindblows.com. Not a forecast but gives useful realtime wind and other information as well as trends over the last few hours. The stations have been put up at known PG and wind related sports sites. I find that I use a combination of xcweather, metcheck and wendy and this usually gives me all the info I need to decide whether it's PG or PPG and if PG, which site is likely to be working the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 The met office balloon forecasts are excellent for paramotoring, my favourite for clear synoptics is http://www2.wetter3.de/fax.html and as already mentioned xcweather is great for live observation, the minor drawback with xcweather for a forecast is due to the prediction model: the forecast will not be able to fully model topographical effects at the scales depicted. This means that in coastal areas localised effects such as sea breezes will not be fully incorporated into the prediction and that wind speeds in elevated areas will be given as if taken at a height of 10 meters above sea level. Also beware that the forecast gives average wind speed but you may well experience significantly higher gust speeds. You can't go wrong by watching the synoptics and then confirming the data by referencing all the nice pictures from metcheck, metoffice, xcweather etc. Subscribe (for free) to Simon Keeling's weekend aviation updates on http://www.weatherweb.net/aviation.htm as he often includes a more indepth analysis of weather patterns and deciphers the tephigrams so you can learn as you go along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outkast Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I pay a subscription to www.wendywindblows.com. and if you are into shipping movements, you can subscribe to www.wendyboatcomesin.com Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druffuk Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks guys for all your replies, much appreciated. Have signed up for free membership at the MetOffice, blimey!! Those maps are quite complex , not sure I totally understand much of what it is supposed to be telling me ..... Still, no doubt we all have to start somewhere. Will look at getting a paid-up membership at one of the others as well once I have worked out what I'm looking at.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil_P Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 There are nice 'gadgets' on the Met Office site that will pop up a side bar on your browser with info that you specify for your region. Wakes up with a single click at the bottom of your browser window. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgy Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 http://www.clanfieldweather.co.uk/live.html www.wendywindblows.com www.windfinder.com www.windguru.com xc weather met office Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauldeakin Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 For a forecast of thermal updraft velocity see: http://rasp.inn.leedsmet.ac.uk/RASPtable.html Paul D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 i tend to use three or four and if there is a variation in it i will leave the flyin alone i dont think it matters how educated they are with the weather, i get the feelin they just dont know everything so if somethin looks not right then i stay home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I find that the forcasts from pretty much all the sites tends to differ most of the time. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norman Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Forecasts are surely an opinion based on data, that opinion will vary between forecasters of course. Take any ten forcasters and you might get eleven opinions. LOL Just take the mean from most of the good ones and you won't be far off. On the day local effects can make a good area forecast seem flawed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druffuk Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Love the cartoon Norman, that's what's going through my head when I look at some of the weather charts.... lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_6095 Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 So what's the verdict on XCWeather vs. WeatherPro? The former tells me 2 mph on Friday, gusting 3. The latter says 10 mph gusting 18. Quite a variation. I know which one I want to believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukebanks1 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I use the met office forecast and the ballooning forecast. They have been the most reliable for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_6095 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 So what's the verdict on XCWeather vs. WeatherPro?The former tells me 2 mph on Friday, gusting 3. The latter says 10 mph gusting 18. Quite a variation. I know which one I want to believe. In the end WeatherPro won hands-down. It was v gusty on Friday, but managed quite a fun 30 min flight to cloud level nevertheless! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Long live Weather Pro! Horraaa.. I find it extremely accurate indeed. ( And I look about twice a day every day. ) Sometimes it will throw a wobble and get things wrong. This is the website for those who dont have the iPhone. http://www.meteogroup.co.uk/ although its not displayed in as simple a way. SW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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