SteelSeries Gauges and Weather Forecast?

[Derek Tombrello]

I installed weewx on a raspberry pi (monitoring an Acurite 01512 PWS), along with the forecast and SteelSeries Gauges plugins. I have everything up and running, but I cannot figure out how to get SSG to recognize the forecast data. The only reference in the SSG documentation seems to refer to using Cumulus. Nothing in the SSG weewx installation mentions forecasting. I see that weewx uses a $forecast variable, but I have no idea how to make SSG see and use that.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

[MikeQ]

There is documentation on the forecast extension in the file /usr/share/weewx/user/forecast.py.  It creates a database at /var/lib/weewx/forecast.sdb to store the forecast data and generates the forecast variables.

In your SSG skin directory at /etc/weewx/skins/, there is a template file gauge-data.txt.tmpl that generates the gauge data and it contains this:

## if forecasting is installed, report the Zambretti forecast
#if $varExists('forecast.zambretti')
#set $fc = $forecast.label('Zambretti', $forecast.zambretti.code)
#else
#set $fc = 'forecast is not available'
#end if

[Derek Tombrello]

While I appreciate your reply... that doesn't really clear things up. I'll admit that I didn't read the .py file before posting here, but ... after reading it now, I'm still confused.

When I installed forecast, I did so based on the readme.txt file. This created the [Forecast], [Database], [DatabaseBindings], and [Services] entries to the weewx.conf file.

Ahhhhh... got it.

This section wasn't automatically created in weewx.conf:

[StdReport]
    [[StandardReport]]
        [[[CheetahGenerator]]]
            search_list_extensions = user.forecast.ForecastVariables

Once I add that to the [StdReport]/[[SteelSeries]] section, it is now working. Thank you for your help!

[Derek Tombrello]

Now I just have to figure out how to change the forecast wording... I'm not sure what "fairly fine, showerly later" means! lol

[Derek Tombrello]

Let me ask you something... the Acurite 01525 has it's own built in weather forecaster. Is it possible for weewx to retrieve this data directly from the PWS rather than calculating it on it's own? I'm guessing no based on http://www.weewx.com/docs/hardware.htm#acurite ?

[mwall]

On Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 5:49:42 PM UTC-4, Derek Tombrello wrote:

Now I just have to figure out how to change the forecast wording... I'm not sure what "fairly fine, showerly later" means! lol

in your weewx configuration file, do this:

[Forecast]

    [[Labels]]

        [[[Zambretti]]]

            A = Settled fine

            B = Fine weather

            ...

for the complete list, look in the comments in forecast.py

this is also how you do translations in forecast for the compass directions, weather conditions, tide heights, etc.

m 

[mwall]

On Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 6:00:47 PM UTC-4, Derek Tombrello wrote:

Let me ask you something... the Acurite 01525 has it's own built in weather forecaster. Is it possible for weewx to retrieve this data directly from the PWS rather than calculating it on it's own? I'm guessing no based on http://www.weewx.com/docs/hardware.htm#acurite ?

possible: yes

however, the weewx database can contain only numeric values.  so you'd have to map the forecast states to some kind of index if you want to store them in the weewx database.

or just track them in the 'current' packet, not in the database

and of course you'd want to generalize it so it works with any weather station hardware that provides a forecast

some years ago i started doing that in the forecast extension, with the intent of collecting forecast states from *any* type of hardware that has them.  then use those to compare the quality of hardware-based forecasters.  i'm guessing that most use some variant of the zambretti, and it would be interesting to log them all with the corresponding temperatures, pressures, and other indicators to find out for sure.

m

[Steve2Q]

I have my Steel Gauges using the forecast from Darksky and it is accurate. You can see it here:
http://photokinetics.org/Weather/ss/

[Derek Tombrello]

On Monday, July 15, 2019 at 5:03:08 PM UTC-5, Steve2Q wrote:

I have my Steel Gauges using the forecast from Darksky and it is accurate. You can see it here:
 http://photokinetics.org/Weather/ss/

That is much better than that Zambretti wording! lol  I will look into that. That would go good with my "dark" theme, too :) (Darksky, dark theme... yeah, I know. I'm corny) Thank you!

[Derek Tombrello]

Yeah,... that is WAY over my head. I appreciate all of your help, though!