Weather forecast

[Andy W]

Here in North Herts the beeb forecast is 25c with 80%chance of rain.
The met office forecast hourly chart shows rain stopping. Temperature around 25c. But, the met office then states for East of England, near certainty of rain for rest of today and temperatures of 32c.
Its clearly very difficult to predict accurately both temperatures and rainfall during thundery weather but why the variation between the BBC and met office and the met office offering two different forecasts?
My own conclusion, it's going to be hot, muggy and we may have another thunderstorm.
Not looking for great accuracy, just some commonality.

[pcolbeck]

Weather forecasting is hard even with supercomputers and the same data to go on.
The Met Office uses its own data, computers and forecasting.
The BBC now use the data and some processing provided by Meteo (a French company that also do the forecasts for F1) and then also do their own interpretation. I think the Met Office sell some raw data to Meteo.

So different inputs and different models.

[spesh]

Comparing the forecasts and weather warnings on the BBC's TV text service and the Met Orifice site with what's happened over the last few days, you might as well get an augurer to look at the flight of birds or a load of chicken gibs instead. demon:

[andyoxon]

Finally some warmer & sunny weather on the way (in Oxon).  Make a change from gloom, rain, & ferocious windchill on the bike.  Probably turn to rain in a couple of days...   

wthr2 by a oxon, on Flickr

[Polar Bear]

For a week now the forecast has been for lots and lots and lots of rain today.  It duly arrived in the early hours and remains consistently heavy.  The rain dancing on our "fake slate" roof is very reminiscent of days when touring in Scotland, waking to the familiar battering of our tiny tent.

It'll be a day mainly indoors methinks.

[Mrs Pingu]

What's a fake slate roof?

[Canardly]

Artificial slate. Eternit Redland etc.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Was driving along the main road near Howden when the heavens opened and the road was literally flooded in no time. 30mph was too fast for the conditions.  A gaggle of cyclists was caught in it, I did not envy them.

A mile and a half further on to the west and the road was completely dry. 

[T42]

I've been using Meteo Blue for the last 6 months.  Météo France give everything in baby-Lego-equivalent terms, whereas MB give you just about every bit of data they can get hold of.  They're also honest enough to give a comparison between the predicted weather and what actually happened. Météo France wouldn't dare.