Weather prediction - hold onto your hats - gusts of up to 316 mph!!!

Today's weather results are as follows as at 8:00 am on 10/7/11 for Saturday 16/7/11:

Weather.com - Max 19 degrees; Min 13 degrees; Chance of rain 30%; Description - Showers
Metcheck.com - Max 19 degrees; Min 12 degrees; Chance of rain 50%; Description - Rain
Netweather.tv - Max 19 degrees; Min 14 degrees; Chance of rain 100%; Description - Heavy rain
Wap.weather.co.uk - Max 18 degrees; Min 13 degrees; Chance of rain 30%; Description - Sct showers

So...today's forecasts for next Saturday are getting more consistent. Good if they were predicting cool, pleasant weather. Not so good, as they are predicting rain.

However, one of the best, tried and tested ways of determining the weather is...to go outside and see what the weather's actually doing.

My 'description' of the weather right now is 12 degrees, partly cloudy, no chance of rain. Or, what I would describe as quite a nice day.

Whilst it isn't raining some of the forecasters actually state that their is a 20% chance of rain.

Let me look outside again.....no, it's still not raining.

So, to a degree, they will err on the side of caution. We all know that this is called the 'Michael Fish' effect.

When Michael Fish, in 1987 appeared on the BBC weather forecast, "Earlier on today apparently," he began, "a woman rang the BBC and said she had heard that there was a hurricane on the way.

"Well if you are watching, don't worry there isn't," he said sagely, reassuring millions of viewers.

Yet just a few hours later, the worst storm since 1703 unleashed its fury.

Since this time, weather forecasters have therefore hardly thrown caution to the wind, so if there is a cloud in the sky, they will say there is always a chance of rain.

However, having said this, one thing that does worry me is the wind speed predicted by Metcheck.com.



LOOK AT THE WIND SPEED!!!!

Gusts of up to 316mph!

So this seems to prove the fact that you can't rely on what our weather forecasters say, so I shall stop worrying about it.

Alternatively, if you think they might be right, given that they're predicting easterly winds of up to 316 mph, bring a hang-glider and you should be somewhere over Brighton in about 12 minutes!