Weather forecasts

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed discrepancies between different weather websites regarding wind direction and strength?

 

i use http://www.bom.gov.au/wa/forecasts/perth-waters.shtml , http://wind.willyweather.com.au/wa/perth/rockingham.html and

http://www.weatherzone.com.au/wa/lower-west/garden-island .

 

For example this sunday ( as at 1630pm wednesday),

                                                                               BOM forecast is southerly 15 - 25 knots.

 

                                                                               willy weather ESE 5 knots, west/ SW 10 - 13 knots in the afternoon.

 

                                                                              Weatherzone Garden Island 9am East 9 km, 3pm SSW 21km ( East 5 knots, SSW 11 knots).

 

It appears to me the BOM forecast the last couple of months has little information, is often wrong, and seems like the work experience kid is running the show.

 

The BOM land forecast for Rockingham for sunday is :

Perth area

Sunny. Winds east to southeasterly and light tending southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the day then tending southerly 15 to 20 km/h during the evening

 

This forecast is a little different from the marine forecast!!!!

 

Also are they getting KM's and Knots mixed up???


Posts: 126

Date Joined: 09/01/13

willy weater is

Wed, 2013-01-16 17:00

willy weater is often/normally different to seabreeze.com

I was disucssing with another fisherman at City Beach groyne a few weeks ago that the wind was surprisingly strong compared to the website.  His opinion was seabreeze was less reliable than willy.

spanishmackeral's picture

Posts: 940

Date Joined: 05/01/11

i dont even look at seabreeze

Wed, 2013-01-16 17:28

i dont even look at seabreeze anymore, missed to many good days because of it. willy weather, bom and bouyweather are most reliable

MattMiller's picture

Posts: 4171

Date Joined: 15/06/09

Once again

Wed, 2013-01-16 17:33

it's just a forecast.

The information from the bureau is plugged into the various computers and out comes the forecasts.

Each site interprets the information differently so that's how you get different forecasts.

Best bet is to hold your horses till the day before and check 3or4or5 different sites to get a feel for what it 'might' be.

tim-o's picture

Posts: 4657

Date Joined: 24/05/11

Winds vary around the metro

Wed, 2013-01-16 20:44

Winds vary around the metro area at any one time. I refer to forecasts proper the night before I head out and hours before I will look at the live data on baywind, even check it on the way down to the ramp (usually 2-3 oclock in the morn lol)Seabreezes forecasts end up being close to how it blew up on rotto most days. Windfinder is another good one

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I am, as I've said, merely competent. But in an age of incompetence, that makes me extraordinary.

catchalittle's picture

Posts: 1875

Date Joined: 04/09/08

they are in cohutts with

Wed, 2013-01-16 21:07

they are in cohutts with fisheries to keep us out of the water to protect the fish stocks

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Nathan

carnarvonite's picture

Posts: 8673

Date Joined: 24/07/07

BoM

Wed, 2013-01-16 22:02

BoM give you the expected maximum wind strengths while the others use graphs to show graduated scale for different times of the day.

All the data used for the forecasts comes from the same place, its just how they interpret it.

catch.fish's picture

Posts: 150

Date Joined: 12/10/11

Willyweather

Wed, 2013-01-16 23:14

Ive found willyweather the best so far have had lots of days with them spot on down to the minute in terms of wind strength + direction changes. Sometimes they are a little optimistic tho! 

Another good source for anyone heading out from Bunbury is to check on the http://www.byport.com.au/ site and under the weather stations link you can view direct info from the weather beacons both inside and outside the harbour. Shows 4 day graphs and current data on wind, water temp, currents, swell and seas height etc. I check that against willyweather before heading out to see if they are on the money with the forecast!