John 1594
Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire
Dont worry....all is not lost....
Met Office loses BBC weather forecasting contract
- Thread starter Rob Holmes
- Start date
jade35
Member
- Location
- S E Cornwall
BBC radio Cornwall is generally reliable
I do the same tap it twice as my dad always has lol
RushesToo
Member
- Location
- Fingringhoe
Not entirely sure that they are "commercial" I believe that a significant source of its funding is still from the ministry of defence who consider this essential information. I am sure that forecast for the BBC and for farmers are considerably lower on their list of priorities compared to defence of the realm and their primary paymasters.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
This from their own website:
The Met Office today
As a world leader in providing weather and climate services, we employ more than 1,700 at 60 locations throughout the world. We are a Trading Fund within the Department for Business Innovation and Skills, operating on a commercial basis under set targets. We are recognised as one of the world's most accurate forecasters, using more than 10 million weather observations a day, an advanced atmospheric model and a high performance supercomputer to create 3,000 tailored forecasts and briefings a day. These are delivered to a huge range of customers from the Government, to businesses, the general public, armed forces, and other organisations.
The only weather service they provide for free is the Public Weather Service, which is the website we all look at on a regular basis, anyone else who wishes to use their output has to pay for it:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/what/pws
- Location
- Wiltshire
Would be interesting to see a comparison in accuracy between these different providers.
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Lincs Lass
Member
- Location
- north lincs
This weather forcasting cant be that difficult .
If cows are lying down its going to rain.
Rain before 7 fine by 11 .
Red sky at night ,,straw stack a fire.
simples
If cows are lying down its going to rain.
Rain before 7 fine by 11 .
Red sky at night ,,straw stack a fire.
simples
Paddington
Member
- Location
- Soggy Shropshire
"I knocks 'im when I gets up, normally I only 'as to knock him once, but if I don't likes what I be seeing, I knocks 'im twice. 'ims generally good but I don't knock him at bedtime 'cause I don't care what the weather be doing when I be asleep".
Shropshire lady on how she ascertains the day's weather. (Him is a barometer in case you're wondering)
Shropshire lady on how she ascertains the day's weather. (Him is a barometer in case you're wondering)
banjo
Member
- Location
- Back of beyond
I have to admit I think the bbc forecasts the last few has been hopeless. The presentation might look good but the info you need as a farmer just isn't there, why don't they show a larger map for instance? The older forecasts showed the weather coming in from other continents, you could see if it would last a few days or just a few hours, it's maddening!
I use an app on my phone and it's pretty accurate, maybe it's the way the info is there on an hourly basis I don't know, but the bbc seems to be set for barbis not work related.
Just a side issue, I remember seeing a forecaster who works for large supermarkets talking about how he does long rang forecasts. His results control the buying of millions of pounds of barbis and sun loungers, so if you see thus kind of stuff at the front of the supermarket it's going to be hot.
I use an app on my phone and it's pretty accurate, maybe it's the way the info is there on an hourly basis I don't know, but the bbc seems to be set for barbis not work related.
Just a side issue, I remember seeing a forecaster who works for large supermarkets talking about how he does long rang forecasts. His results control the buying of millions of pounds of barbis and sun loungers, so if you see thus kind of stuff at the front of the supermarket it's going to be hot.
a bit of googling suggests the met office receives a lot of government money - lots of stuff on the web about a waste on 100's of million of tax payers money on a new super computer that doesn't work so well etc ?
seems they are a long way from being unsubsidized ? wiki says they are a quango ? with some big salaries to match !
not something i know much about, juts a few bits from google
Paddington
Member
- Location
- Soggy Shropshire
Joe Bast***i from Accuweather has often stated that if most of the UKMO staff worked for private industry they'd be out of a job.
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
Thats the point, as they are funded by the State, they can't go around giving their output away for free to other State bodies (such as the NHS, BBC, MoD etc), because that would be considered unfair competition to other private sector weather service providers. It would be against EU law for them to provide the BBC with free weather forecasts, and it would be against EU law for the BBC not to have open competitive bids for their weather forecast requirements. Its like councils having to put their bin collection contracts out to tender, and why council direct labour organisations have to bid for their contracts in competition with the private sector. Its not allowed to be a stich-up between State sector organisations.
- Location
- south norfolk, uk
Must admit I am using Weatherquest forecasts more and more. Based in Norwich with what I would consider are proper "Forcasters" like Jim bacon and Phil Gardner unlike the"presenters" we tend to get on local radio /television like Georgina Burnett etc. Local weather was taken on reasonably recently by central met office in London rather than regional centre's. The difference was/is noticeable........
When you ring up for a forecast and they ask if your trying to make/cut hay or go combining you feel they have a bit of a clue.
Also while all these computer models for predicting the weather are available and taken as gospel by the weather "presenters" the weather quest lot also talk about charts and previous experience and local knowledge.
That's not to say they are always right but generally better than what else I have found available.
When you ring up for a forecast and they ask if your trying to make/cut hay or go combining you feel they have a bit of a clue.
Also while all these computer models for predicting the weather are available and taken as gospel by the weather "presenters" the weather quest lot also talk about charts and previous experience and local knowledge.
That's not to say they are always right but generally better than what else I have found available.
Jon
Member
- Location
- South Norfolk
Getting the wrong weather forecast from Georgina is always a pleasure though !
- Location
- south norfolk, uk
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds
Errr hands off boys ....she's already spoken for
Tha Ulsterscot
Member
- Location
- Greyabbey Co. Down.
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned this yet, but I for one am disappointed to hear that yet again a major contract is being given to outsiders. I know the Met Office don't always get it right, but is someone on the other side of the world going to be any better. At least when it was home based they could always look out the window as a last resort There seems to be no home grown loyalty any more, and the Gov. and the Beeb are all quite happy to sell off the Family Silver. I always count the BBC weather forecast as the best/most reliable ( well most of the time ) . Their graphics are far better in N. I. than the ITV forecast, so are we going to get an inferior service from now on to save a few pennies, and send probably millions of pounds out of the country once again. Do these numpties not realise that money spent at home will in turn be spent at home. When its spent overseas we wave bye bye to it. What does everyone think?
There seems to be no home grown loyalty any more, and the Gov. and the Beeb are all quite happy to sell off the Family Silver. I always count the BBC weather forecast as the best/most reliable ( well most of the time ) . Their graphics are far better in N. I. than the ITV forecast, so are we going to get an inferior service from now on to save a few pennies, and send probably millions of pounds out of the country once again. Do these numpties not realise that money spent at home will in turn be spent at home. When its spent overseas we wave bye bye to it. What does everyone think?Philip Watkins
Member
- Location
- Back in Shropshire
It's mentioned in the weather forum http://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index....ther-forecasting-contract.79048/#post-1537532
Goweresque
Member
- Location
- North Wilts
Philip Watkins
Member
- Location
- Back in Shropshire
It was a reply to @Tha Ulsterscot thread above that was posted in Agricultural Matters till threads were merged by a mod. They are pointless at this stage of the thread.Your link is this thread..........