"martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 18:12:38 +0100, martin wrote:

On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 16:34:15 -0000, "Duncan Heenan"
wrote:

I think I have detected an increasing trend in Met Office Weather
forecasts
over the past year or so, to exaggerate weather dangers. Not only in
general
forecasts when it never seems to get as wet, hot, cold, windy etc as
they
say, but also in shipping and inshore forecasts. A number of times over
the
last year I have not sailed because of warnings of Gales or F6s and
above
which have not materialised, and consequently I have missed a good day
out.
I am now beginning to discount their pessimism a bit, and no doubt one
day
the forecast will come true and I'll get caught out and they can shout
'We
told you so'.
I can't help thinking that there's a lawyer somewhere in the background
advising them to forecast the worst possible, rather than the most
likely,
weather, in order to avoid litigation or criticism. (a la M.
Fish -'There
won't be a Hurricane").
What do you think?
I wonder if anyone there reads this newsgroup?

Martin Stubbs http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/tempusfugit/ +
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/tempus...rine/gmdss.htm .

There's also Frank Singleton http://www.franksingleton.clara.net

I think both are retired now.

If you keep careful records of forecast against the actual weather and
demonstrate a bias somebody in the Met Office will listen to you.
I suspect you are wrong and that you are noticing local differences
rather than general ones, after all the forecasts are for large areas.
In the West of the Netherlands, where I am located, force 7 winds,
thunderstorms and snow were forecast for today. We had a near gale a
thunder storm and torrential rain, but no snow, not even frost. Other
parts of the West of the Netherlands have had snow.

You can of course download the synoptic s and make your own forecasts.
There's plenty of weather info on internet.

I looked out of the window after posting that and found that there
are now several inches of snow here.
--
Martin


Nothing here on the Isle of Wight yet - but we always have good weather!