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Date: 11 Sep 2007 18:34:49
From:
Subject: Good weather sites?
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Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
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Date: 15 Sep 2007 20:15:29
From: Tom Keats
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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In article <gb7fe3prvvt76h91mjcct7dei7ki0ke5im@4ax.com >,
Zoot Katz <zootkatz@operamail.com > writes:
> The weather reporting I'll check for laughs is Wunderground.
Vancouverites like you 'n me are lucky -- we've got
the North Shore mountains to look at.
'Xcept ya can't see 'em from Marpole.
In the late fall/winter/early spring months, we can
predict weather from the wind direction, indicated
by flags atop tall buildings. The City Hall flag is
pretty accurate. I despise those winter north winds.
Localized areas seem to make their own weather.
Especially in North Vancouver.
When I was living in Marpole, I loved it when isolated
li'l thunderstorms would go ripping up the Fraser River.
I may have mentioned this before, but I'm compelled to
reiterate: different areas seem to produce different
kinds of rain, some of which are downright enjoyable;
others are odius and distasteful. I like Marpole rain,
probably because of all the greenery and the wind shelters
afforded by the 3-story ap't buildings. Downtown rain
creates a sort of New York-y feeling. Spanish Banks rain
is romantic. My home stompin' grounds in Cedar Cottage
gets the best rain in town. Hastings & Cassiar gets
some of the worst. So does anywhere in Port Coquitlam.
I haven't yet figured-out Port Moody rain -- it's almost
paradoxical, as it's partly locally made, partly a byproduct
of nearby North Shore rain, and partly blown-in from the ocean.
Port Moody rain is charmingly inscrutable. Port Moody rain
is almost the kind you get on the windows of a boat's wheelhouse,
except the land tames it just a bit.
There's a lot of beauty in rain, once one willingly
seeks & appreciates it.
cheers,
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca
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Date: 16 Sep 2007 01:18:02
From: Eric
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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On Sep 11, 7:34 pm, oprah.cho...@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
Forecasting is still a bit of an art, with a good dose of science
thrown in. They really shouldn't try to peg down rain to a specific
time, since it tends to move in waves over the surface. Most of the
temperatures reported by web sites are taken at the local airport (for
example, my "local" temperature is from an airport an hour's drive and
2000 ft lower in elevation), and a few are still only updated every 30
minutes or so. Nexrad data is usually updated every 10 minutes or so
and usually can give a good indicator of rain heading your way.
http://www.wxqa.com is a link to the Citizen weather observer program.
It started out with ham radio operators sending out weather
information from their weather stations, but now includes lots of web
enabled WX stations. They update as much as every 5 minutes and
(provided they are set up correctly), can provide a much better view
of what is going on in the local area. The site is very hard to
navigate, but if you bookmark stations of interest it can be a very
useful tool.
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Date: 13 Sep 2007 18:46:36
From: mort
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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On Sep 11, 9:34 pm, oprah.cho...@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
I use the NOAA local forecast service. It has live rader that shows
you exactly what is happening. With a little practice, you'll be able
to predict when and where the rain will be.
Go to:
http://www.noaa.gov/
On the left side of the page, near the top, is a search box headed
"Today's weather". Type in your city and state (for example,
"Bridgeport, PA") and you will get a 7 day local forecast, a local
radar picture, national radar picture, and up to the minute bad
weather warnings. Bookmark this page and use it often. There are links
to see the radar larger, in a variety of formats. You can play the
radar as a loop covering the last hour to see how the rain is moving.
I use this every day that I ride, and it's a godsend. It's so good it
almost makes me happy to pay federal taxes. (If only the rest of the
government worked so well!)
Good Luck,
Mort
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 15:30:38
From: bluezfolk
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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On Sep 11, 8:34 pm, oprah.cho...@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
I use 3 differant weather sites and all of them have a pretty spotty
record of reliability (sometimes they're even wrong on the current
weather). But at least they do give some indication of whats gonna
happen.
Eric
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 12:17:04
From: Paul O
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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oprah.chopra@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
>
Predicting the exact time that rain will begin in any particular area is
difficult. I suggest that you check out the weather radar loop in your
local area before you begin your commute.
For the continental U.S. try the National Weather Service's nationals
enhanced radar image loop at:
<http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php >
Then just click anywhere on the map to zoom to see a local view.
--
Paul D Oosterhout
I work for SAIC (but I don't speak for SAIC)
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 07:34:29
From: landotter
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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On Sep 11, 8:34 pm, oprah.cho...@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
weatherunderground.com is pretty spectacular with animated radar and
local reports.
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Date: 14 Sep 2007 04:46:44
From: Jim Flom
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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"landotter" <landotter@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1189607669.879510.178370@r29g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> On Sep 11, 8:34 pm, oprah.cho...@gmail.com wrote:
>> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
>> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
>> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
>> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
>
>
> weatherunderground.com is pretty spectacular with animated radar and
> local reports.
think you meant http://www.wunderground.com/
--
JF
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 01:44:21
From: Zoot Katz
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:34:49 -0700, oprah.chopra@gmail.com wrote:
>Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
>pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
>there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
>forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
I trust you didn't melt in the rain.
Rain isn't so bad on the homeward trip. You know you can get dry and
comfy at home, and the sooner the better!
Just be careful in your haste. Remember drivers reduced visibility
and increased braking distances. Even though it's still light at 6pm,
lights wouldn't hurt. Roads are particularly slick at the start of a
rain after a dry spell. Use extra caution on paint stripes.
Fenders/mudguards are the commuter's best friend. An extended mudflap
on the front one helps keep your feet drier.
Living on the wet coast it's so far cost me about $50 per year for
the ~$300 invested in good Sugoi rain gear six years ago. It's still
in great condition though it's already seen serious service.
The weather reporting I'll check for laughs is Wunderground. It has
local stations instantaneously updating so I can see if it's raining
more on the other side of the outbound hump.
--
zk
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 15:29:08
From: smn
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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"Zoot Katz" <zootkatz@operamail.com > wrote in message
news:gb7fe3prvvt76h91mjcct7dei7ki0ke5im@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:34:49 -0700, oprah.chopra@gmail.com wrote:
>
>>Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
>>pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
>>there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
>>forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
>
> I trust you didn't melt in the rain.
>
> Rain isn't so bad on the homeward trip. You know you can get dry and
> comfy at home, and the sooner the better!
>
> Just be careful in your haste. Remember drivers reduced visibility
> and increased braking distances. Even though it's still light at 6pm,
> lights wouldn't hurt. Roads are particularly slick at the start of a
> rain after a dry spell. Use extra caution on paint stripes.
>
> Fenders/mudguards are the commuter's best friend. An extended mudflap
> on the front one helps keep your feet drier.
>
> Living on the wet coast it's so far cost me about $50 per year for
> the ~$300 invested in good Sugoi rain gear six years ago. It's still
> in great condition though it's already seen serious service.
>
> The weather reporting I'll check for laughs is Wunderground. It has
> local stations instantaneously updating so I can see if it's raining
> more on the other side of the outbound hump.
> --
> zk
I use Yahoo widgets weather for the desktop. updated every five minutes and
has optional 10 day and 2 week forcasts. Good enough for this gal.
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Date: 12 Sep 2007 20:55:40
From: David L. Johnson
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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smn wrote:
> I use Yahoo widgets weather for the desktop. updated every five minutes and
> has optional 10 day and 2 week forcasts. Good enough for this gal.
If you believe weather forecasts 10 days out then I have this bridge...
--
David L. Johnson
A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
-- Paul Erdos
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Date: 11 Sep 2007 21:45:22
From: David L. Johnson
Subject: Re: Good weather sites?
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oprah.chopra@gmail.com wrote:
> Yesterday weather.com said it was going to rain at 9 PM, but it came
> pouring down at 6PM, right in the middle of my commute back home. Are
> there any more reliable weather sites with up to the minute
> forecasts? Or is this just the unpredictable nature of nature?
>
The latter. Weather sites, stations, and reports try to sound as if
they know what they are talking about. They don't. Then they try to
convince you that, once you buy them a bigger computer, then they will
be able to predict the weather. They won't. But they will get to play
with a bigger computer.
--
David L. Johnson
I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our
educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely,
if not entirely, the use of textbooks
-- Thomas Edison, 1922
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