Which weather forcasting system do you prefer?

[Jasinex]

hey guys,

ive been trying to nut out who is the most 'reliable' forcasters...

now i know its just that, an estimation of weather due to patterns and past history.

but is there one in particualr you would prefer over another.

for example. last weekend sunday

Foxtel weather channel. 25 knots NW, 1.5m swell

Seabrese graphs. 15-20 knots morning reducing to 10 knots midday and 1m swell

out at mud it was a solid 20-25knots allday NW and 1.5m swell

so both were fairly accurate tho the weather channel was beter

so i put it out there. who do you 'trust' on your weather predictions??

[whitingkiller]

i don't trust any of them, my motto is that if i have a trip planned i always go as u can come home if the weather is to bad..
too many times i have put off a trip due to the forecast and the weather is perfect!
if i had to choose, i would say coastwatch is the "most" accurate.
Seabreeze changes dramatically at times
Fox Weather is always showing 25kts

[Sheik]

Don't mind the BOM site, which gives to four days. If you can look at the weather chart you can see what systems are moving across and take a pretty good punt yourself on what is going to happen. For example, the extended outlook says that over the next days:
" A ridge of high pressure will persist across south-eastern Australia and along
the east coast into and through the weekend. As a result, fine and mainly mild
conditions will be maintained in most areas of the state during this period,
though light showers should extend throughout the east coast by Friday and
showers and storms should continue over northern Cape York Peninsula. Because of the dry SW to SE airflow across the interior, temperatures at night will be
below average, especially in the south. Some frosts should occur about the
Granite Belt and Darling Downs areas during the mornings."
Then take a look at the chart to see how close the isobars are together and it looks as though the weekend might have some showers but there shouldn't be any huge winds coming across. SHOULDN"T BE! I'm like whiting killer though, I don't trust it too much and always make sure I can get back.

[Marlin_Mike]

I use The external weather programme.

stick me head outside, if its good i go, if its bad i stay home.

Mike

[groverwa]

For me it is the BOM site as Sheik has said.

I dont know where the other mobs get their info but would say it is from BOM and we know how things get altered by those forwarding on info from an original source

Or you can use a modification of Marlin Mike's method called a Weather Stone = a stone hung around your neck. If it is warm then the sun is shining, if it is wet then it is raining and if it moves from the vertical then the wind must be blowing

Mike

[Jasinex]

hahah good suggestions with the stone love that hahahah

[Kero]

I use Coastwatch, BOM & Weatherzone. They all get their info from the BOM anyway. With Weatherzone you can enter your area and get the closest conditions. If you click on the "more info" symbol, it will show you predicted wind speed & directions for a whole week.

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/local/local.jsp?lt=aploc&lc=9500

[Poodroo]

They all tell untruths. I just use them as a rough guide only and make sure I check the night before I head out. The forecasts are only reasonably accurate within the last 12-24 hours I have found.

Poodroo

[SunnyCoastMark]

Hey Guys,
BOM is usually the most accurate. If there is any severe weather around - the forums on Weatherzone are a great source of info.

Sea breeze is often out by 5-10 knots as the data collectors (?) are not always in the best locations. If you keep an eye on their forecasts - they change every update and are most accurate, the day before. If it lines up with BOM - then it is usually correct.

If there is any doubt - I will often take a punt and hook the boat up, head towards the ramp. As I come down the hill at Brisbane road Mooloolaba - one look out to sea will tell the story. If it's too rough - there are plenty of inshore options.

Just don't go out if there is a wind warning or a vigorous change forecast.

Mark

[GBC]

Just p.m. sea rash - he never gets it wrong - fair dinkum.:)

[BaitThrower]

Bookmark this page if you are in South East Qld:
http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ17500.txt

Updated very often throughout day and seems pretty darn accurate most of the time. Only 1-2 day forecast in advance but has latest wind speed readings from around the bay and SE Qld.

[Steve B]

www.accuweather.com

I have found it the most accurate so far. You have to pick the nearest city etc etc, but I have found it pretty spot on. Got the site of an offshore mate in bundy swears by it.

[Whitey81]

I usually work off BOM as im pretty sure that is where everyone gets their info, it is just a matter of how they decifer it.

Fishing out of Gladstone i usually wake up early and give the bureau a call, it is manned 24 hrs a day and are usually keen for a chat. Night shift hey, only 1 person on i guess, I have had many a "mate dont bother" to have you a spare rod. Rocky bureau thumbs up.

1 time i was about 15km offshore and there was thunder everywhere around me so i gave them a call and said no storms around. Found out a few days later the warning system was down. We legged it home and just beat it, a few workmates donned the life jackets must have been scary, they are very experienced boaties.

Too many people search through all of them and pick the bes forecast, I think they are kidding themselves.

Cheers
Whitey

[Teabag73]

I use a combination of the below web sites: I find Buoy weather to be pretty close.....

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/qld2.asp

http://www.buoyweather.com/wxnav6.jsp?region=QUE&program=nww3BW1&grb=nww3&latitude=-17.0&longitude=146.25&zone=10&units=e

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ11260.html

[Vitamin Sea]

I use a combination of the below web sites: I find Buoy weather to be pretty close.....

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/qld2.asp

http://www.buoyweather.com/wxnav6.jsp?region=QUE&program=nww3BW1&grb=nww3&latitude=-17.0&longitude=146.25&zone=10&units=e

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ11260.html


Just what Teabag said, combination of the 3, look at the charts, go from there.
2 out of 3 or 3 out of 3, i'm there

Cheers

[Pretzil]

yer i find that having the boat loaded ready to go is usually the best bet, (the external forecast) but other then that i jus go off seabreeze and the bom site, i find there usually reliable....

[Bowser]

I used to rely on Seabreeze but have found of late that their guestimate of the winds has been significantly inaccurate. By significant I mean that their prediction has led me to make a decision whereas the actual weather has would have made the opposite decision better. e.g. I cancel a trip because the winds are predicted to be enough to make it uncomfortable when in reality the day turns out to be good to reasonable. To me it appears that they are not as accurate as they were. i don't know whether they have changed their forcaster or the model but the current wind patterns seem to have them baffled.

[NQ-FISH]

Have to agree with teabag i find buoy weathers 7 day forecast one of the best and i look at them all but i still rely on my gut feeling at the ramp

CHEERS

[Horse]

I use a combination of the below web sites: I find Buoy weather to be pretty close.....

http://www.seabreeze.com.au/graphs/qld2.asp

http://www.buoyweather.com/wxnav6.jsp?region=QUE&program=nww3BW1&grb=nww3&latitude=-17.0&longitude=146.25&zone=10&units=e

http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/wrap_fwo.pl?IDQ11260.html

I'm with Teabag

The weather is not easy to predict:-/ . The raw data is often the same but each source uses different models to process it. I usually look to Seabreeze a bit more as Ihave found it better for Moreton Bay
I did a few Climatology subjects at uni and realise that looking at synoptic charts only gives you a fraction of the information required to make a forecast:P

[sandbankmagnet]

True Horse. Synoptic charts are only sea level and show no upper atmospheric actions such as upper level low pressures which bring rain. They are a reasonable giude for wind though.

Everyone gets their data from BOM. Go to the horses mouth I say. (not necessarilly you Horse.... sorry)

[Always_offshore]

look at all of the forecasts till you find one you like ,then go fishing anyway.

[Jasinex]

haha very true. good to compile a list of different ones which ppl use. any others that you think are worthy??

[dogsbody]

I don't mind www.askhuey.com.au

Dave

[dreemon]

I've heard that seabreeze adds a bit more wind to favor windsurfers, so sometimes it will be acctually less,

but geeez, can they get it wrong somtimes . . . . :o

[Mac1952]

Absolutely agree with Bowser. Seabreeze used to be reasonably reliable, but has turned to Sh....T lately.>:(

[Donny Boy]

I operate the one piece of equipment that the Weather Bureau doesn't use.

I open the bloody window and have a bloody look at the sky !!! ;D

[BILLY THE KID]

i use the trees across the road and then walk out on the driveway with my coffee and look down the street . ;D

Helps when from the driveway you can see roughly across to amity pt and the port cranes looking through the houses across the street


:D

[Burley_Boy]

Buoyweather for me for the 7 day forcast and always check with BOM but find Buoyweather better for predicting when a change may come through.
It allowed me to cherry pick perfect weather at 1770 two weekends ago when the weather went off the scale down here. 40kg of fish happier for that choice.

[Poodroo]

If the palm trees out back are dropping fronds everywhere it is windy. If the trees are barely moving and I go outside and a fart hangs around for more than two seconds I load the boat and go. ;D

Poodroo

[castlemaine]

If the palm trees out back are dropping fronds everywhere it is windy. If the trees are barely moving and I go outside and a fart hangs around for more than two seconds I load the boat and go. ;D

Poodroo

Sounds like a fair assumption, I just have to have more onions the night before my RDOs.;D Cheers8-)

[griz066]

I think this tends to be very accurate;D;D;D;D;D;D;Dhttp://www.joe-ks.com/archives_jun2004/WeatherRock.jpg.