I just read the thread slapping the Met Office.

I am sure that things have changed for the worse since the closure of
many local area offices. On the other hand the move to automation means
that the data for setting up the runs, comes in a lot sooner and a lot
handier.

It's just (and I am guessing) that the local areas when manned,
supplied a moderation that was useful to the men higher up the chian
when they had to make final decisions about what was most likely.

As it happens severe flooding in other parts of the world has had a lot
to do with the errors we imagine having seen. And again as it happens I
found the forecasts as on the ball as they could be under the
circumstances.

You all know I have a different view of events to those of the regulars
here. This new spell for example aught to provide blustery weather and
some thunder (lightning seen, at least.)

And to get that, we need warm, humid conditions. Carts before horses
aside, things seem to be going along famously. What has happened to the
forscasts is that they have become too reliant on computer modelling
and less reliant on human modulation.

Is this true? Some expert on here know that? Were things different when
the man at the top in Bracknell came to his conclusions and sent out
the finished product, did he rely on satellite data collectors to phone
him up and query his results -even try to put him straight?

Because that isn't happening these days is it? (I wonder if that is why
some of the best presenters at the BBC have gone down that dead end
Andrew Lane with their dumb output. It wouldn't suprise me, it wouldn't
suprise me at all. I get the feeling they don't have the feedback or
back-up that they once had and maybe so obviously need.)

Digression:

Over in the US, they have just thrown out the baby with the bath water
over the theory of evilocean and all that crap. We have become so
clever these days, nothing is going to reach us until whatever does
reach us, chops off our legs.

This IS going to happen and what will poor Robin do next poor thing? I
prefer the way that god put it:

"A godless generation covered in ****; that doesn't know how to wash
itself." (Or words to that effect.)

Be that as it may the data -and the interpretations of it by the fewer
than normal technicians in the chain, have done very well under the
circumstances. In my opinion, very well indeed!

Here's another biblical misquote:

"The world is on fire and what the flames don't eat, the floods are
going to get"
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Nat...hp3?topic=fire