Extra hour in bed

[jack.h...@gmail.com]

When the clocks go back.

Same old nonsense every year.  I will wake at the same GMT but the clock will say one hour earlier  I won't lie in bed for that hour.   

Oh yes, of course I don't have to go to church until an hour later (by my body clock). 

I can use that extra hour in prayer.  

Jack

[Graham Easterling]

Talking of nonsense, what have the MetO done to their postcode forecast. After a few years of improvements . . 

I mean for Penzance, instead of mean wind speed and gusts we now have light winds (earlier today) now strong winds, when it's hardly changed (is there anothing between 'light' & strong)

We've had 60-90% chance of rain for every hour for today (I last looked 12:00) when there hasn't been a drop since dawn. The lowest visibility forecast for today was 65km, when there's so much spray in the air due to the sea state and wind strength the LIzard point is barely visible from Penzance. That's without getting onto the layout which is aaah ...

Well, at least there's BBC, XCWeather . . I sent some feedback, which apparently is appreciated.

Rainfall radar's not been working properly off Land's End for 3 days or so (roughly) unless it's a very big shower when it just catches the top.

At least there's still webcams.

Graham

Penzance

[Graham Easterling]

Just chacked and I can just see as far as Porthleven from Newlyn, the sea wall just visible through the haze. According to Google Earth that's 16.5km, so not quite 70km current forecast. The size of the print on the new forecast means that on my PC monitor, even using my 1 functioning eye, I could read it from the far side of the car park. Surely it's a mistake? Luckily the UV level information states "You can safely stay outside, consider using sunblock in direct sunlight".

Graham

[Freddie]

Predannack radar is off for repairs - it went off on the 17th, expected return date is 7th November.  This will have a detrimental impact on the quality of rainfall forecasts published in any apps displaying raw model data.

Not sure about the wind - I know there have been mesoscale lows forming and forecast in the unstable flow, and the models do struggle to get these correct.

Spray effects are not included in model visibility forecasts - they are not currently modelled - so I would take any app forecasts of visibility with a pinch of salt (and some human forecasts too, as salt spray is sometimes not considered!).  Pun probably intended ;)

[Graham Easterling]

I assumed Predannick must be off. Also I know salt spray is excluded from forecasts, which is why they are so often wrong. I don't understand the logic of making no attempt whatsoever to allow for it in the forecasts.

However, my real moan wasn't about the abilty to forecast (I did say they've been improving, and on a few occasions said how accurate they are these days) but the fact the new forecast page is appalling and strives to tell you nothing of use. So ther wind is either light or strong, (never anything in between) no direction, no speed, no gust information. 

For an area like west Cornwall, where so many rely on the forecast, and so many are involved in fishing, ferries, watersports of various (non-sexual) varieties, farming, the lifeboats etc, knowing the strength (mean & gusts) & direction of the wind is pretty important, and used to be presented well.

A friend  of mine, who has a small business out at Sennen, and is a member of the lifeboat crew worded it much better than I did in a post from yesterday.

"The Meteorological Office, on their colourful new website, insists there will be light winds but now decline to tell you from which direction, making their forecast even more useless than it was previously. When you dig deeper and eventually find some detail on the wind, two pages later, while the overview says, light winds, the gusts will be strong. So, if you only look at the overview as the majority will, you are going to me a mite surprised when you get flattened turning the wrong corner. "

Graham

Penzance

[Metman2012]

I hadn't noticed that, I just click back to the 'good' layout. I've now expressed the opinion that 'Strong wind' is pretty useless and should have directions and speeds. Freddie, I think that the link  for comments should go to something that's specific to this change rather than about the website in general. 255 characters is just not enough. Is it possible to get teh powers that be to make that change at least. Or are Marketing the dead hand driving this (they were pretty useless in my day!)

[Keith (Southend)]

I've reverted back to the old version and commented the new has less detail and I don't like it.

Keith (Southend)

[Len]

I have  told them that no gust forecast is not an improvement.

I have reverted back to the original.

Len

[Freddie]

It's brilliant that you are supplying feedback - that is really important, getting your views heard.  That especially goes for your serving lifeboatman friend, Graham.  Malcolm, if the form doesn't allow enough characters to provide useful feedback then that needs to change.  The main website feedback form (https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/forms/website-feedback) is more generous, allowing 999 characters - and submissions using this form are assessed daily.