The cost of Met Eireann Misinformation

Deep Easterly

Discodog wrote: »

I agree about yr.no's updates but I still think that it is bizarre that the Norwegians give us more info than our own ME.

The Norwegian political system, which is largely social democratic, believes in adequetely funding their public services enough so those services can deliver as effectively as possible to the general public who are paying for them. They have a high tax rate, true, but the quality of the public services in not just Norway, but all Scandinavian countries, is second to none.

Here in Ireland, we have a gombeen, wannabe centre-right political system, who would rather use its gross national income to better the lifestyle of those who hold the reigns of power, to help out their corrupt buddies and to use it against the very people who supported this system. Most public bodies in Ireland have to beg and lobby for the little bit of funding they recieve from the government, and have to make the best the with the little bit do get. That is most likely why met eireann is not as advanced as other European public met services. Don't blame them, blame the monsters at the top.

Discodog

I reckon that any business minded person could go into ME & drastically reduce the cost whilst dramatically improving the quality just as with so many government organisations.

A little computer program would cost nothing. It should be easy for someone outside of ME to make a program that extrapolates forward from the radar image.

Come on Su we know that you can do it !

Aiel

I remember the Mayor of Sligo in a newspaper a few years ago being very angry with Met Eireann.Apparently rain was predicted a week in advance of some festival there and even up till the day before they still said it was coming.Anyway the day arrived and of course it was a sorcher with clear blue skies all day and he claimed the attendance had been affected by people hearing the weather forecast.He went on to talk about how the Waterford and Wexford area got the term "the sunny SouthEast" when he claim's that he notices they get as much rainfall if not more then the Sligo area.
I also noticed that about Galway a few days ago that it was a peach of a day yet a bad day had been predicted.Anyone i mentioned it to said more or less the same thing that they dont trust a weather forecast for the West.
I do agree that it's NOT an exact science and with the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic winds and currents constantly in motion its doubly difficult to predict Irish weather.Thats what makes it so darn interesting:).

Discodog

I have had countless occasions when someone has been on the radio in Galway reading out a forecast & I think for feck's sake look out of the window !

Onthe3rdDay

I presume that the lack of investment is the problem with Met Eireann. No forecast service is always right but ME seem to be wrong more often than others.

Several Council officials were using other services during the cold spell this year as ME kept getting things wrong.

Been to 3 wedding this year, all had ME forecasting a wet day, the sun was shining for all 3. (all wedding in the west!)

Su Campu

Discodog wrote: »

I depend on accurate forecasts & it can affect my income therefore I do not bother with ME. What is the point in turning on a radio to hear a vague 30 second forecast ?. By lunchtime, the first chance of getting a TV forecast half the day is gone. WTF can't ME get up in the morning !.

The TV forecasts remind me of the UK about 30 years ago. Symbols on maps !. No progressive/predictive rainfall, no regional forecasts etc. We do have a very variable climate so we need more detailed forecasts. For example Sky give a separate forecasts for Scotland, Wales, Ireland. The BBC give regional forecasts why can't RTE ?. The population argument ignores Galway & Limerick. It also ignores the fact that in rural & coastal areas many people work outdoors.

So to me ME are an irrelevance. I rely on the BBC, & yr.no. I only use ME for the online rainfall radar. For most people who work outdoors all we want to know is when will it start raining in our area, how long will it rain for & when will it stop. ME TV & radio forecasts never tell me this.

I pay for ME & yet the BBC & Sky give me much more detailed information. ME don't do detail so it is impossible to judge their accuracy.

ME do have predictive rainfall forecasts in 15 minute increments on the vast majority of their TV forecasts, using either the ECMWF or HiRLAM, so why do you say they don't? And they do have regional forecasts on their site, even down to County forecasts. Check it out.

Also, your idea of showing the forecast radar wouldn't really work. The radar shows the rain as it is, but rain intensities and distribution change continuously, so simply taking the latest image and moving it across the screen like the meteox one would in a lot of cases be less accurate than the current 3 hr rainfall forecast maps they already have on the site, which are model-generated. They have the animation tool on there for a reason, so simply eyeballing whether the rain approaching your area is intensifying or diminishing, and estimating its arrival time based on its current speed would be just as accurate, in conjunction with the 3hr maps. If you're not willing to use these tools then you really shouldn't slag them off.

I agree that ME are not perfect, but they do have a forecast accuracy to match any other Met Service, which is commendable given the difficulties due to our location mentioned above.

Discodog

Su Campu wrote: »

ME do have predictive rainfall forecasts in 15 minute increments on the vast majority of their TV forecasts, using either the ECMWF or HiRLAM, so why do you say they don't? And they do have regional forecasts on their site, even down to County forecasts. Check it out.

If you're not willing to use these tools then you really shouldn't slag them off.

I have never seen a predictive rainfall on an RTE TV forecast. If this on a 15 minute increment it would take a while to broadcast. I hope that you do not mean the animation that travels so fast that the only way to interpret it is to record & play it back slowed down. Maybe it is something new as I stopped watching the forecasts a while ago. I will make a point of looking.

I have link to the 3 hour on my phone & check it most days but it is often inaccurate & at odds with what the actual radar image is telling me. Also, as the radar, the outline of Ireland is obscured making hard to locate a specific place - surely something basic like this is easy to fix.

I totally rely on forecasts. If ME were any good then I would use them. The regional/county forecasts are often so vague. Lets suppose that asap I need an hour or two of dry weather. You tell me where today's forecast indicates when it will be dry ?.

The regional forecast says: "Mild tomorrow, with patchy rain or drizzle at first. Brighter weather extending from the west later. Highest temperatures of 15 to 17 degrees in light to moderate SW winds."

When is "later" ?. Does it mean 8am or 8pm ?.

Of course my radar idea would not be totally accurate but it would give a good indication which is a lot better than what we have now. Why are ME so scared of sticking their necks out & trying to make detailed forecasts ?. yr.no do it & they are often wrong but at least they make an attempt to help people like me.

octo

Discodog wrote: »

I reckon that any business minded person could go into ME & drastically reduce the cost whilst dramatically improving the quality just as with so many government organisations.

Not a chance, they're stripped to the bone. Met Eireann are way underfunded compared to other National Met Services like the Dutch or the German. They also have this ridiculous Weatherdial service, which forces them to earn money for the department by charging for products (like detailed text provincial forecasts and model-generated graphic forecasts for every town in Ireland, a la yr.no) that all the staff would much prefer to give out freely as part of their public service remit.

Write to minister John Gormley if you don't like it.

Discodog wrote: »

It should be easy for someone outside of ME to make a program that extrapolates forward from the radar image.

I can't see the point of that. Weather doesn't progress in straight lines.

Discodog

Funding is not going to prevent someone typing more information on an existing web page.

Of course rain doesn't travel in straight lines but it is easy to extrapolate it's likely position in say 3 or 6 hours time. Everyone else seems to do it.

irish1967

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/met-eireann-faces-storm-from-north-west-tourism-chiefs-21743.html

Then again the same guy tried to sue Meatloaf for calling him names

eskimocat

pauldry wrote: »

Good points made there. I was driving from Sligo yesterday evening and there was near tornado conditions at Carraroe and torrents of rain and then in less than 2 miles it was beautifully dry and sunny. Sligo and Collooney and Rosses Point have 3 different climates. FACT. Ive been studying them closely for the past 3 years. Collooney is the sunniest, Rosses point doesnt get the heavy showers Sligo gets but it gets strata type rain events that might result in a more cloudy type day in Sligo and even some sun in Collooney. eeeeeeek! :eek:

I work in Collooney and can confirm the contrast between there and Sligo, I often watch the rain clouds burst over knocknarea and the whole area disappears in rain while the sun splits the rocks a few miles out the road.

I have often noticed too in Dromahair that often it only rains in half the village! How could someone predict that!! not possible I would also like more satellite images on the met eireann forecast, not that I would know exactly what I was looking at but it would be fun to guess!! lol