Freeware Weather Programs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John Latter
  • Start date Start date
J

John Latter

Hi,

I just downloaded & installed 2 versions of 'Weather Watcher' from:

http://www.singerscreations.com/

but couldn't get beyond a 'server not found' error (made sure my
firewall allowed access) so are there any other programs like this
around? (and how do they compare cos I used WW before a recent
reinstall of XP)

Thanks in advance,
 
Hi,

I just downloaded & installed 2 versions of 'Weather Watcher' from:

http://www.singerscreations.com/

but couldn't get beyond a 'server not found' error (made sure my
firewall allowed access) so are there any other programs like this
around? (and how do they compare cos I used WW before a recent
reinstall of XP)

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...

There is a note on WW-site that the error has been fixed 22 June.
Jari
 
There is a note on WW-site that the error has been fixed 22 June.
Jari
Click to expand...

I'm still having problems though Jari - I'll have a look at Gert's
suggestion & then come back to WW if I have to.
 
A note regarding the situation in the USA:

A superb free service has been available in the US that was recently put
on line for the general public. It's a weather report from the US
Weather Service that can be saved as a URL that's pinpointed almost to
your street corner. The forecasts were amazingly accurate. Forecasts had
become very dependable overall, but this localized service was even more
precise. This is quite an accomplishment considering that I'm posting
from the San Francisco Bay Area, where the climate is different over
every hill.

Unfortunately, there's a catch.
About 6 weeks ago, the whole thing went to hell. The localized data
fields are almost always only partially populated now. The data that
remains is often wrong. And even the forecasts narrowed down to
"classic" city callups are incorrect.

I queried the USGS about this. They got back with a personal reply that
seemed to say, "Yes, we're really messed up." All I can come up with is
that the department has had its budget cut to hell in order to pay for
the war.

Now, having said all this, I took a look before hitting the "send"
button, and it's looking good: all the fields have data, and it seems to
make sense.

Anyway, if you're in the USA, check it out.
Here's a URL for the Western USA:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php

See if you can navigate from here. Let us know how you like it for your
own location (sorry, it's just for us captives in the new Roman Empire).

Richard
 
On 24 Jun 2005, Richard Steinfeld wrote
A note regarding the situation in the USA:
A superb free service has been available in the US that was
recently put on line for the general public.
Click to expand...

-snip description of good-sounding stuff
Here's a URL for the Western USA:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php
Click to expand...
See if you can navigate from here. Let us know how you like it for
your own location (sorry, it's just for us captives in the new
Roman Empire).
Click to expand...

I'm glad you raised this, as it relates to something I've wondered
about for a while.

Depending on where one lives, I'm not sure that the desktop programs
are all that sound -- or, more accurately, I've found that the "Weather
Channel" forecasts that they access are insufficiently localised or
something.

I live in southern England -- a small region on a not-overly-
large island on the edge of a very large body of water over which much
of our weather comes. In other words, not an easy place to get micro-
locational forecasts right.

I knew that Weather Watcher (and I think Weather Pulse) pull the
forecasts from the Weather Channel, but always assumed that these were
just repackaged Met Office info. They seem, though, to be a lot less
reliable than the forecasts from the BBC weather pages (which
definitely are from the Met Office).

How reliable have others found the Weather Channel forecasts (from
which the desktop ones seem to pull their info) for specific locations
-- particularly outside the US?
 
A note regarding the situation in the USA:

A superb free service has been available in the US that was recently put
on line for the general public. It's a weather report from the US
Weather Service that can be saved as a URL that's pinpointed almost to
your street corner. The forecasts were amazingly accurate. Forecasts had
become very dependable overall, but this localized service was even more
precise. This is quite an accomplishment considering that I'm posting
from the San Francisco Bay Area, where the climate is different over
every hill.

Unfortunately, there's a catch.
About 6 weeks ago, the whole thing went to hell. The localized data
fields are almost always only partially populated now. The data that
remains is often wrong. And even the forecasts narrowed down to
"classic" city callups are incorrect.

I queried the USGS about this. They got back with a personal reply that
seemed to say, "Yes, we're really messed up." All I can come up with is
that the department has had its budget cut to hell in order to pay for
the war.

Now, having said all this, I took a look before hitting the "send"
button, and it's looking good: all the fields have data, and it seems to
make sense.

Anyway, if you're in the USA, check it out.
Here's a URL for the Western USA:

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/total_forecast/index.php

See if you can navigate from here. Let us know how you like it for your
own location (sorry, it's just for us captives in the new Roman Empire).

Richard
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link ... looks good for my area! Never knew how nice the
site is.
 
[...]
I live in southern England -- a small region on a not-overly-
large island on the edge of a very large body of water over which much
of our weather comes. In other words, not an easy place to get micro-
locational forecasts right.
Click to expand...

Bear in mind that the forecast may not, in fact, be all that local.
Weather Watcher does list my town, Morecambe, but the forecasts and
observations are actually for Blackpool which is more than 40 miles
away.
I knew that Weather Watcher (and I think Weather Pulse) pull the
forecasts from the Weather Channel, but always assumed that these were
just repackaged Met Office info. They seem, though, to be a lot less
reliable than the forecasts from the BBC weather pages (which
definitely are from the Met Office).
Click to expand...

The BBC also uses Blackpool data for Morecambe but it does seem to be
a bit more reliable.
 
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