Another weather website

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Steve_R
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Another weather website

Post by Steve_R »

Just found today so, no not fully familiar with it yet but it looks to be a good alternative

https://www.ventusky.com/?p=20.41;-71.5 ... ind-900hpa


TIP: Open settings and change from English US to English to get metric measures.

. We have created an entirely new system of displaying waves. Through the use of animated arcs, our visualisation clearly differentiates the direction of movement and height of both wind waves and swells.
Between the background colour and movement direction, it seems to get general wave conditions and direction the way I see it now - almost flat.

HELP (how to use)
https://www.ventusky.com/help


DATA
Model ICON
This is a global model developed by the German National Meteorological Service institution (DWD). The resolution of the model is roughly 7 km. It is the most detailed numerical model that is calculated for the entire world. Calculations are made in one-hour increments for 3 days.

Model GFS
This is a global model developed by the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The resolution of the model is roughly 13 km. Calculations are done in three-hour increments for 10 days.

Model GEM
This is the global model developed by the Canadian Meteorological Centre (CMC). The resolution of the model is roughly 13 km. Calculations are done in three-hour increments for 10 days.
Wind
The map illustrates the average wind speed or the maximum wind speed (so-called "gusts") at 10 metres above the ground. The calculation does not take into account exposed areas (hilltops, open fields) where wind speed will be greater than that in a city or valley. Localised increases in windiness during storms are also not taken into account in model calculations.
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outback paul
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Re: Another weather website

Post by outback paul »

Very interesting site. If it's accurate, it will be great to have some idea of the wind strength in the gusts (rather than just the average speed), as that's what we have to paddle into.
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cruiser
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Re: Another weather website

Post by cruiser »

I like it Steve :up:
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monty
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Re: Another weather website

Post by monty »

Looks good but FISH Rangers new WIND-3D
Option I like better as it's more user friendly :up:
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Yako
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Re: Another weather website

Post by Yako »

Looks a bit fidly & annoying personally.
I'm trying Fish Ranger against my usual Windfinder, Baywind & Meteye.
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Hvalross
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Re: Another weather website

Post by Hvalross »

Looks good, thanks for sharikg
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jpg76
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Re: Another weather website

Post by jpg76 »

Hi,

The site you have listed, as with Windfinder and Windy and WindyTy which have a similar animation method, all use global forecast models and this is not the best forecast data for Australia. Global forecast models are 'rough guesses' of the weather and are really only used as starting points to create regional models. A global model is the first step in creating a refined, more accurate regional weather forecast.

The best forecast data for Australia is produced by BoM and is called ADFD. ADFD has a resolution of 3km in VIC & TAS and 6km in other states. It is the data set that drives MetEye and most Fish Ranger charts.

ADFD is produced as follows:

ACCESS-G (Global) -> ACCESS-R (Australiasian Region) -> ADFD (Australia +60nm out from the coast) -> Meterologists in each state review and adjust -> Released for use

The GFS (Global Forecast System) most weather sites use, including the site you posted about, is free on the internet, straight out of a computer with no intervention and anyone can download it and use it. Thats why its so common. In the example above, GFS is analogous to ACCESS-G, the first step in the creation of ADFD.

America who produce the GFS do NOT use it for forecasting in America, instead they refine it to get the NAM (North American Mesoscale @ 4km resolution). GFS is just the first step to get the NAM. People think because something is new and has fancy graphics its good. Its not. By using a global forecast model you are using someone else's waste product. Global models are not intended to be used for forecasts except at the high seas where regional models may not provide coverage.

Unless you are using ADFD you are not getting the most accurate forecast data for Australia.

You can use MetEye or you can use Fish Ranger, they are the ONLY two sites that offer ADFD and provide land and marine forecasts. Fish Ranger's wind/wave/swell1/swell2/temp/rain charts are all from the same file that drives MetEye. It's not our 'interpretation' of the file or our 'model', it is the exact same data. Its like opening an excel file and reading out a value and putting it on the screen. There is no point comparing the accuracy they are using the same data, they just display it different and have different features. This notion everyone has that each weather site 'runs their own model' is nonsense.

Aside from forecast data, Fish Ranger also overlays the live wind observations (including gust speed), has everything on a page including tide and sun times, regional text forecast, and provides features fishermen need such as Wind 3D. MetEye does offer the 'windmap' view which can be nice to see wind forecasts for a wide area, but they are point in time. MetEye also only shows every third hour of the data rather than every hour (which the data set contains, it isn't us making it up its Meteye leaving it out).

If you are using any site other than MetEye or Fish Ranger, and you are checking marine forecasts, you are getting an inferior forecast. Yes yours may be more correct one day and ADFD worse, yes ADFD may have said 5 knots and it blew 15. But its the weather, predicting it is an imperfect science. ADFD will ALWAYS give you the best guess what the weather in Australia will be.

And so you know, Willyweather also use the same ADFD data but they don't offer marine forecasts (over open water), so there is no point comparing Fish Ranger against Willyweather either. If you want Fish Ranger and Willyweather to be the same check a land based forecast. If you want a forecast over water check Fish Ranger. We both read the same data file, they only read it over land, we read it over land or water. As kayakers I know you don't venture out far from shore but in some cases, when the angle of wind is parallel to the shoreline, Willyweather will give you the wrong forecast. There is no reason to ever use WillyWeather instead of FishRanger.

Happy to answer any questions you have.

Joe
Founder of Fish Ranger
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Steve_R
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Re: Another weather website

Post by Steve_R »

Some people like animations. The animated projection helps you understand and what is coming and what direction it is coming from.
Some people like data. Fishranger is a very good source for data.
I like to see both.
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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience - Greg King

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erik the viking
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Re: Another weather website

Post by erik the viking »

Ah, the old ADFD and GFS comparison along with a bit of NAM thrown in eh. :shifty:
Well, that's answered some questions I have pondered for a while now. ;)
Thanks for sorting that out Joe.
In gave the folks a heads up the other day, but I wasn't expecting a 'Bazinga' with some facts.

I really don't care who supplies the forecast, as long as I get a real idea of what I am getting myself in for when I launch at 4:30 am on a less than 5 knot morning!!!!!!!
And, it blows up to over 10kt................... bugger.

I have used Cola weather for my snow/rain predictions for the exact reason I use Fish Ranger for yak'n.
Reliability. They still have to work on the tides in the Goulburn and Broken though. :yahoo:
jb2020
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Re: Another weather website

Post by jb2020 »

What about tides? For the same day and same location FR says low is 0.32m @ 8:18am whilst WW says 0.49m @ 8:06am. Pretty big discrepancy. I thought both used BOM for tide data?
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