MetService Website (2014)

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Storm Struck
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MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Storm Struck »

Question: do we have forecasters that are from different regions of NZ on the Met Service? to me it would be wise to have those say from the Canterbury and Otago region do the regions forecasting not one or two people from the North Island doing the whole country.
It seems logic to me to have local knowledge in forecasting as sometimes it seems like they have no idea what they are forecasting, most of the time its good _b but some simple things even a kid could tell you.
Like for example having a 25C high with onshore NE and the next day 21C with a warm gusty NWer, its not rocket science to know what day is going to be hotter.
I don't need a degree in metrology to know the regions weather and I don't plan to because I suck with numbers maths physics etc, but this could help to improve the site a lot .
Canterbury, home of good rugby and severe storms
ndoa
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by ndoa »

I have noticed that too. Last week in the 10 day forecast for Christchurch they ( or the computer ! ) was forecasting 3 days of showers and northwesterlies which in 20 years I have rarely seen.
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Some people come up to me and say, "Is it going to get up to 23C today, your a weatherman?"
I usually say "I dunno" and they look at me as if o_O
JohnGaul
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03Stormchaser
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by 03Stormchaser »

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David
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by David »

They seem to have overloading issues this morning. I would have thought they had this issue sorted after previous weather events...
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bpo
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by bpo »

David wrote:They seem to have overloading issues this morning. I would have thought they had this issue sorted after previous weather events...
The MS IT dept didn't get the memo from the MS Hype dept.

:smile:
Orion
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Orion »

"No images available" on Rain Radar now! >_<
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Nev
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Nev »

Wow, 154 km/h gusts at Taumarunui yesterday. Yeah Right! :mrgreen:
Orion
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Orion »

Absolutely baffling: "No images available" on Rain Radar at present #-o
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tgsnoopy
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by tgsnoopy »

I used a stronger word than Baffling, it was emphasized with an expletive or two. We flood here and I got no sleep due to not being able to see what was incoming. :(
Orion
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Orion »

tgsnoopy wrote:I used a stronger word than Baffling, it was emphasized with an expletive or two. We flood here and I got no sleep due to not being able to see what was incoming. :(
"Bizarre"? ;)
It's incredible that the system seems to fail when it would be of maximum use and interest - my previous post here was at the time of Cyclone Lusi; I know there have been other occasions of incoming intense weather-formations when one or more radar coverage areas vanish from the record.
Most frustrating.
Flutterbye
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Flutterbye »

Those 'flying pigs' might have been a novelty if they'd been there just for one day but now they're plain annoying.

And on another note - why have a weather warning sign planted over central Southland when the warning is for Milford Sound north. I suspect someone in the office is geographically challanged.
Orion
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Orion »

Looks as if Southland Radar (and Westland too?) coverage is merely intermittent this morning. :-w
Flutterbye
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Flutterbye »

Orion wrote:Looks as if Southland Radar (and Westland too?) coverage is merely intermittent this morning. :-w

The Southland radar goes offline three times a day for at least an hour or more because of weather balloon data collection. Around 5am, 10.30am and 10.30pm. They reckon they're looking at GPS instead but I doubt they're in a hurry to do anything about it. Then again, maybe the extra money from their 'flying pigs' income, could be used to speed up the process... :lol:
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

I'm glad the Pigs went away. They were annoying as they floated over sites you were trying to click onto. :-(
JohnGaul
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Michael
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Michael »

the pigs went to market.
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

Just wondering?
Does MetService do a proper forecast rather than just saying things like "Fine today. a few showers tomorrow" ?

People want to be more specific, when if it is going to be fine and when are the showers, going to arrive ?

I find the Short forecast can be quite vague at times [-X

It's about time they updated their Website :-k
JohnGaul
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

I see that when you lodge onto MetService's current weather map, it shows the next prognosis instead of the current analysis. Has anyone else noticed that fault?
JohnGaul
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Flutterbye
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Flutterbye »

NZ Thunderstorm Soc wrote:I see that when you lodge onto MetService's current weather map, it shows the next prognosis instead of the current analysis. Has anyone else noticed that fault?
It's been doing it for weeks now.
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Nev
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Nev »

I would love to see a similar map to that on Weatherzone's new homepage on MS's website. It's zoomable and has the option of showing now-temps, or today's and tomorrow's highs and lows, along with radar, satellite and isobar overlay options. Well done WZ. Makes MS's site look like a dinosaur already IMHO. :smile:


Update: Weatherzone appears to have reverted back to its old format - try this Beta version.
jamie
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MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by jamie »

Couldn't agree more Nev
NZ Thunderstorm Soc
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by NZ Thunderstorm Soc »

I noticed that Met Services forecasts for Canterbury for today wasn't that really all that good [-X
Fine evening here whereas yesterday they said it was going to cloudy with a SW change and possible showers, reverting to, today, fine with cloud increasing this evening.
It was fine this morning after the clearance of yesterday's rain, then "Cloud-streeting' developed early this afternoon with some nice but weak Cu humulus forms, then clearing away to the north and to be nice and fine and sunny, enabling me to mow the lawns.
There was some cloud around later this afternoon but that cleared away.

...but anyway :-#
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Orion
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by Orion »

Perhaps someone cleverer than I can do a screen-shot:
http://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/ashburton

At the moment on the ten-day forecast there is no Thursday October 2nd, possibly compensated for by two Tuesday October 7ths :-s
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David
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Re: MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by David »

Orion wrote:Perhaps someone cleverer than I can do a screen-shot:
http://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/ashburton

At the moment on the ten-day forecast there is no Thursday October 2nd, possibly compensated for by two Tuesday October 7ths :-s
Same for all the other towns and cities. Might be something to do with DST change?

DST changes can be very tricky to deal with in programming sometimes, I spent hours when building my website to make sure everything went OK with DST changes.
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jamie
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MetService Website (2014)

Unread post by jamie »

They know about it. On Facebook they posted something