Weather websites - 2-5day forecast?
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Londonish
Posts: 779
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Weather websites - 2-5day forecast?
Basically I'm looking for recommendations as to where one looks to get an idea what it's going to be doing in a few days time (in the UK); Not a flying forecast, but with relevance to flying. Namely, is it worth me booking something for saturday / sunday type prediction.
It used to be that the beeb had a synoptic chart, but it seems to have dumbed down.
Apologies if it's a daft question - I've been expat for a few years, just getting back into the swing of things here.
Thanks.
It used to be that the beeb had a synoptic chart, but it seems to have dumbed down.
Apologies if it's a daft question - I've been expat for a few years, just getting back into the swing of things here.
Thanks.
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Kent
Age: 61
Posts: 523
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I find www.xcweather.co.uk useful for this.
Failing that I go for www.weather.co.uk.
It's worth hunting around for local gliding club web-sites - some of them have really helpful forecasts.
Of course nothing has been the same since Weather Jack gave up - but the site does provide a lot of useful links.
OC619
Failing that I go for www.weather.co.uk.
It's worth hunting around for local gliding club web-sites - some of them have really helpful forecasts.
Of course nothing has been the same since Weather Jack gave up - but the site does provide a lot of useful links.
OC619
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: An ATC centre this side of the moon.
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I use the following to check the synoptic charts for the next few days then make up my own mind!! 
Bracknell prognoses via Meteonet
Bracknell prognoses via Meteonet
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Coventry/Edinburgh
Posts: 19
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I tend to use the met office, register for the aviation section and get TAFs, METARs, 214s, 215s and their 60hour synoptic:
Met Office: Weather services for aviation
Met Office: Weather services for aviation
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: .
Age: 37
Posts: 649
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
XC Weather is a favourite of mine, the forecast is generally accurate I find.
21st Operational Weather Squadron - plenty of useful Wx charts for up to T+72 Hrs - again good quality info. I use it quite a lot.
Don't bother with UKMO website general forecast - too dumbed-down and simplistic (and hence usually wrong). Ditto BBC Wx - absolute pish. As useful as a chocolate fireguard.
Smithy
21st Operational Weather Squadron - plenty of useful Wx charts for up to T+72 Hrs - again good quality info. I use it quite a lot.
Don't bother with UKMO website general forecast - too dumbed-down and simplistic (and hence usually wrong). Ditto BBC Wx - absolute pish. As useful as a chocolate fireguard.
Smithy
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Londonish
Posts: 779
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Excellent, had forgotten XCWeather, that'll do nicely.
Main problem with the 'official' sources - TAFs, METARs, 215 etc, is reach - more day of / day before forecasting.
Many thanks all
Main problem with the 'official' sources - TAFs, METARs, 215 etc, is reach - more day of / day before forecasting.
Many thanks all
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: EuroGA.org
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All 'longer range' weather data comes from the US run GFS model.
Many websites provide portals onto GFS; some mentioned above.
I often use the NOAA site. It can produce various graphs for a geographical point.
Enter the airport ICAO code in the box.
Continue.
Choose GFS 0-180hrs (e.g.)
Click on Default with Winds, and Speed and Direction.
Enter the anti-scripting code in the window.
Click on Get meteogram.
That's the simple way to use it; you can choose various other parameters if you pick the Choose from Below option (but you cannot mix 2D and 3D graphs).
Other sites such as Meteoblue can plot weather along a straight-line route.
The PPL/IR Europe magazine has some articles describing other websites e.g. here and here.
Many websites provide portals onto GFS; some mentioned above.
I often use the NOAA site. It can produce various graphs for a geographical point.
Enter the airport ICAO code in the box.
Continue.
Choose GFS 0-180hrs (e.g.)
Click on Default with Winds, and Speed and Direction.
Enter the anti-scripting code in the window.
Click on Get meteogram.
That's the simple way to use it; you can choose various other parameters if you pick the Choose from Below option (but you cannot mix 2D and 3D graphs).
Other sites such as Meteoblue can plot weather along a straight-line route.
The PPL/IR Europe magazine has some articles describing other websites e.g. here and here.
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Hove
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'Expert charts' from Weather Online
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SoCal
Posts: 1,929
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As IO540 has said, all serious wx forecasts use the GFS model. There are various site where you can access it. A good one that also gives you METARs and TAFs is the OGIMET site. There are various others that have a longer time 'horizon', but this one is pretty good for a 5-day forecast.
If you subscribe to HOMEBRIEFING, you can of course access all the various wx data from within that system
If you subscribe to HOMEBRIEFING, you can of course access all the various wx data from within that system
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Another vote for Sembach.
After looking at their forecast, I typically go to Wetterzentrale (Wetter : Wetterzentrale : Top Karten). Click on Diagramme, GFS 0.5', and then select your location, to verify what's going to happen and when.
Semback only shows mid-cloud and not things like fog. Plus the GFS meteogram also gives you temp/dewpoint, QNH etc.
Of course, for 36-hour forecasts or less you can use the TAFs. Met'map is a very useful site for this. Not just to access the TAFs but also because it shows you, at a glance, where there are VFR conditions currently. Combine this with the knowledge of front movements and you'll know how bad or good it's going to be.
MET'MAP - ORBIFLY FLIGHT SCHOOL - IFR ET CPL AMERICAIN EN EUROPE - FAA IFR AND CPL IN EUROPE
After looking at their forecast, I typically go to Wetterzentrale (Wetter : Wetterzentrale : Top Karten). Click on Diagramme, GFS 0.5', and then select your location, to verify what's going to happen and when.
Semback only shows mid-cloud and not things like fog. Plus the GFS meteogram also gives you temp/dewpoint, QNH etc.
Of course, for 36-hour forecasts or less you can use the TAFs. Met'map is a very useful site for this. Not just to access the TAFs but also because it shows you, at a glance, where there are VFR conditions currently. Combine this with the knowledge of front movements and you'll know how bad or good it's going to be.
MET'MAP - ORBIFLY FLIGHT SCHOOL - IFR ET CPL AMERICAIN EN EUROPE - FAA IFR AND CPL IN EUROPE
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 32°55'22"S 151°46'56"E
Age: 39
Posts: 594
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/brack1a.gif
60 hour prognosis, that depression in the atlantic looks quite startling, at 946mb.
60 hour prognosis, that depression in the atlantic looks quite startling, at 946mb.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 4,598
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
IO540, when the Orbifly Met'map site was introduced about two years ago, the developers talked a little about the tech behind it here:
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...rful-free.html
May as well add that since the original release they've also added a smartphone-friendly version. Oh, and the ICAO name of the field you want it centered on is in the URL, so you can bookmark your home base instead of the generic page.
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...rful-free.html
May as well add that since the original release they've also added a smartphone-friendly version. Oh, and the ICAO name of the field you want it centered on is in the URL, so you can bookmark your home base instead of the generic page.
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Cambridge, UK
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For a general guide to the weather, I have found:
Metcheck.com - UK Weather Forecasts - Live Data - Long Range Weather Forecasts
fairly useful
Metcheck.com - UK Weather Forecasts - Live Data - Long Range Weather Forecasts
fairly useful
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 78
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Northants
Age: 63
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Weather websites
A million sites are signposted from www.greatweather.co.uk - a site set up by a former Met student called Ant Veal. Highly recommended
