On the Subject of Weather
My needs from weather forecasting services have changed over the years, particularly with my heading into hill country as opposed to visiting places that could be called honeypots. The fact that hill country can generate its own weather and microclimate drives the needs of those who frequent it further beyond that of mainstream users and what is provided by the forecasts geared towards them. The result is that this listing of weather information sources has been made with the hill wandering in mind and the order in which weather websites are listed and any comments on them reflect that.
This is my first port of call for weather information these days, partly because of the BBC’s insistence on changing how they present their forecasts but also due to what they offer for planning an outdoors excursion. Naturally, the main provider of the U.K.’s weather forecasting has a lot to offer and they upped their game not so long ago. National, regional and location five day forecasting is the main offering with longer range forecasts to be had too.Mountain area forecasts for Scotland’s Eastern and Western Highlands, the Cumbrian fells, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons attract particular mention. In addition, there are surface pressure maps for three to four days at a time and very useful rainfall radar charts. Add weather warnings to the mix and a very rounded service in on offer here.
Mountain Weather Information Service
There is no way that a list of weather website for use when planning an outdoors outing can exclude the venerable MWIS. The Scottish hills are the mainstay here with Southern Uplands, Southeastern Highlands, Cairngorms and Monadhliath, Western Highlands and Northwest Highlands all getting a seven day service. Also getting a seven day offering are the Cumbrian fells with the Peak District and Snowdonia receiving attention for three days a week (Friday to Sunday inclusive).
This is Ireland’s main meteorological service and they got better in recent times too. Though more of a general service with specialisations for industries like agriculture and fishing, their forecasts do give you an idea of what you might get. Outlooks are given up to five days ahead and and three day variants are split into region and county too.
This is a recently discovered upstart and very useful it is too. Forecasting is a little further into the future than the more cautious Met Office or Met Éireann but everyone should know things are less certain the further ahead you look anyway. It’s a useful overview of what lies ahead and with some quirky insights too.
I first happened on this when it was called Online Weather and the takeover by Accuweather has meant that some things were lost. For instance, the five day synoptic area maps were a particular favourite of mine but they are no more with location forecasting taking their place. Saying that, the mountain forecasting has stayed and that earns the site a mention of this list, especially for the coverage of Irish mountain areas. Some in Ireland may not have the most favourable opinion of the accuracy of what is on offer but all forecasting needs to used with some care anyway. Mind you, I seem to remember finding Accuweather.com International better for location forecasting than its British and Irish counterpart.
You cannot really avoid mentioning the BBC when it comes to U.K. weather. The scope is general so the difference between forecasting for lower levels and for the hills needs to be kept in mind. I wasn’t a fan when they changed how they presented weather information but I have come around to the sense of why it is done their way these days. Nevertheless, what they have on offer is not a sufficient draw away from the Met Office for me.
The idea of paying this spot a visit has been in mind for a while now so it shoud be no surprise that I found the website for its weather service. That trip could remain on the to do list for a while yet…
I cannot say that I have ever used either of these very much but I’ll add them for a greater sense of completeness. The first one concerns itself with looking ahead in a more general fashion while the second is a variation on the Accuweather theme.
