Ability of Weather Forecasting Through Wunderground

[alexdh1994]

Hello there,

I have purchased a Fine Offset/Easy Weather device and after setting it up with Cumulus and applying to PWS provided by Weather Underground, I am receiving my data all good.

However, I just wanted to ask whether it is possible for Wunderground to create forecasts from the data retrieved by this device? Because whenever I choose my device from the list of stations, and then I scroll down, the forecast is being provided by a different station which isn't mine (one in Warwick, about 5miles away).

Maybe this is the wrong section of the forum that I am asking or I'm missing something completely obvious, but would any of you nice people be able to put me a step closer in the right direction?

Thanks to everyone on the forum

Alex

[steve]

My understanding is that WU does use the data from your station in its forecasts, but not just the data from your station. According to this page, at least: http://www.wunderground.com/weather-for ... 5-day.html

[PaulMy]

Hi Alex,
Can you do a "Station Select" near the top of the WU main page then pick your station from all the local stations listed and this should show your station's information (does for mine).

But as Steve said, their forecast is from many stations and sources, and I expect that will be much more accurate than from the one little unit in my yard,

Alex, I noticed your location and we have been at the Stratford Festival Theatre several times, but at the other Stratford-upon-Avon which is not too far from us.

Paul

[alexdh1994]

Thanks for the information guys. I missed that page

Do either of you guys know of a piece of software or something that can generate a forecast from the information given by the station (obviously it wont be as accurate as a weather model, but at least something).

By this I mean it could be anything, if you guys have any ideas about this then please let me know. I plan to create a website with the data, so I really need to find this out. I've noticed many people on these forums that have great websites.

Paul, I find that very interesting , the fact that we're this far apart over the globe and you've been to a festival related to the Stratford here!

Once again, thanks for you help!

Alex

[steve]

Apart from the one built in to Cumulus, you mean?

[PaulMy]

Of course the Cumulus forecast,
And maybe this http://www.wxsim.com/ now that it is

compatibility with Sandaysoft's Cumulus program

Paul

[gemini06720]

Alex, if you want an accurate forecast (and I mean as accurate if not more accurate than the forecasts put out by the national weather forecaster of/for your country) then you will have to make a fairly large financial investment in an excellent, reliable, well supported (and now partially compatible with Cumulus) weather simulator called WXSIM (as indicated by Paul in a previous message).

To produce its weather simulation (or, in an other word, forecast) WXSIM, and its companion software WXSIMATE, will download weather related data from hundred of public buoys/sites/stations around your location, compile and process all that data too eventually produce a very accurate simulation of the incoming weather - my version of WXSIMATE/WXSIM, located on the southeast part of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, get its data from buoys/sites/stations within a radius of more than 700 kilometers. Although I cannot give you an exact number (percentage) for the accuracy of the WXSIM/WXSIMATE duo, it has been more accurate (almost 100% of the time) for the valley (it is located in) than the information provided by Environment Canada ... so much so that the local radio station has been using the WXSIM simulation (forecast) from my station for their own public forecasts...

The WXSIM/WXSIMATE duo has been worth all the money (and more) I have invested into the simulation package some four years ago - as I keep repeating, one gets what one pays for.

[Spider-Vice]

WXSIM is extremely good but it could take months to years to actually give an extremely good forecast. There are a few sites here in Portugal running WXSIM and the forecasts are almost spot on. It also uses the GFS I think, to guide itself.

[gemini06720]

WXSIM is extremely good but it could take months to years to actually give an extremely good forecast.

No, it will not take months (and certainly not years) to produce an accurate simulation!

Let me explain.

When one buys the WXSIM package from Tom Ehrensperger (the designer and support person behind WXSIM), one also gets a basic customization file that will used by WXSIM as a starting definition (that is part of the WXSIM package).

To create that basic customization file, Tom looks at/for data from nearby WXSIM and weather station. If Tom cannot create a precise enough basic customization file for one's location, then, Tom will recommend the enhanced customization whereas he will expand his search parameters to greater distances, searches that will require a lot of Tom's (very limited) time, thus the extra costs for the enhanced customization.

There are a few sites here in Portugal running WXSIM and the forecasts are almost spot on.

Indeed, as soon as the special customized data file has been added to the WXSIM package, with the data gathered by WXSIMATE (one of WXSIM companion software), WXSIM starts producing its simulation - simulations that are in most (almost all) cases more accurate than the forecasts produced at extremely high costs by any national forecasters.

It also uses the GFS I think, to guide itself.

Indeed, as indicated on the WXSIM Customization page, the GFS model is used for WXSIM installations outside North America.

[duke]

As I have only recently purchased WXSIM I can certainly vouch for the accuracy of WXSIM from the very first run. In fact, the first run in my case was based on two years of data from Cumulus cross checked with my local 'METAR' and the 'MET office' records. WXSIM in my case also uses 214 advection sites, out to about 2000 km distance and other sources. So the first run is not really like a first run at all. After that, Tom suggests monthly opening WRET and comparing the past WXSIM forecasts with the actual recorded data so WXSIM can learn. Unfortunately at present the 'learning' procedure is only possible through 'WD' but hopefully Cumulus later.

As one said above, you get what you pay for. If you want an accurate, detailed forecast for your site and visitors, WXSIM is the only way to go. Oh, and get the professional, enhanced version .