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-   -   Weather forecasts SUCK! (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/737687-weather-forecasts-suck.html)

JimJimex 05-23-11 05:24 PM

If you are on weather.com then LOOK AT THE INTERACTIVE PRECIPITATION MAP instead of the forecast, and you can do you own prediction. The Radar Map is absolutely dead on.

For weather.com I ONLY look at the map and the Hourly Forecast (Details tap). All others especially the Current, Tomorrow, and 5 day are junk.

perspiration 05-23-11 05:38 PM

I don't mind getting wet at all; I'd ride through a thunderstorm and enjoy it...I just don't like the idea of my bike sitting in the rain for the majority of the day

bikegeek57 05-24-11 07:35 AM

weather's weather.... I just don't do lightening (two rescue workers got zapped in Joplin, MO. I heard). otherwise meh... it's the roads calling my name. get out there and ride.

mikeybikes 05-24-11 11:28 AM


Originally Posted by bikegeek57 (Post 12685945)
weather's weather.... I just don't do lightening (two rescue workers got zapped in Joplin, MO. I heard). otherwise meh... it's the roads calling my name. get out there and ride.


light·en·ing :: noun /ˈlītn-iNG/  /ˈlītniNG/
lightenings, plural
A drop in the level of the uterus during the last weeks of pregnancy as the head of the fetus engages in the pelvis
Me thinks you meant lightning.

Aloe 05-24-11 11:47 AM

Quick keys to success:

Never leave the house during the spring without rain-resistant/proof gear.

Remember that the percentages given by weather forecasters are just another way of saying "... for all X number of days in the past when conditions were similar, or nearly the same as today, it rained on Y amount of those days." Y/X is your percentage, which means damn near nothing.

Live by doppler radar images. Loop them multiple times if you have to, and calculate how fast the system is moving.

RT 05-24-11 12:43 PM

In Colorado, the saying is "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes." I have learned to ride in rain when I least expect it. Over the years I have also learned that anything 30% and below means it likely won't happen, and 40% and over means it likely will. That 30%-40% is the weird part, and forecasters often settle in that grey area.

AltheCyclist 05-24-11 01:05 PM


Originally Posted by RTDub (Post 12687457)
In Colorado, the saying is "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes." I have learned to ride in rain when I least expect it. Over the years I have also learned that anything 30% and below means it likely won't happen, and 40% and over means it likely will. That 30%-40% is the weird part, and forecasters often settle in that grey area.

I noticed similar on the 30/40 rule:
30 = dry
40 = wet
50 = 50
60 = 50
80 and up = snow gear

And, I always tell folks, May is the coldest cycling month on the Front Range and January is the warmest. If you factor in your expectations.


Weatherman say, 'Past performance is no guarantee of future results ...'

JOHN J 05-25-11 10:06 AM

How about the weather SUCKS.

Forecasters have had a track record for being not accurate for years,

I don't mind fun rides in bad weather Cuz I can head home if it gets too nasty But for my commute I like nicer more predictable conditions , I always carry rain gear.

here in upstate NY winter conditions went well into April, low 30s every morning frost and some snow ,ice/black ice still on many roads,

early May Morning temps were still in the mid 30s + wind and drizzle.

Mid may it rained almost every day temps in the high 30s in the early morning (commute take off time) plus lots of wind

Late may (now) Lots of wind grey skies cool morning temps and possible rain all week again though I haven't seen any yet

needless to say I haven't been riding much I'm usually commuting a few days a week (34 mile round trip) starting in Early April, and even a day or two in the winter during thaws, Not this year .

I'm only riding after work on the Fixie just to keep things working .

weather gods are angry!!

"John"

Aloe 05-25-11 10:27 AM

This year made me physically hate the month of April; it was one long joke in the form of weather; Just barely above freezing, windy, and rainy. It definitely sucks for us commuters, and it's even worse when trying to keep up mileage for summer races.

CJ C 05-25-11 01:58 PM

said 80% chance of perp throughout the hourly view on my weatherbug app. so i drove today, glad i did!

EChing 05-30-11 08:18 AM

+1 for Weather Underground. Very useful info for the wet climate of Vancouver. 10%, 20% trace amounts mean very likely you will stay dry. The precipitation amounts help me decide if I'm riding or not. As opposed to the simplistic forecasts of Environment Canada, which are also not updated frequently enough.

El Vinster 05-30-11 08:42 AM


Originally Posted by Andy_K (Post 12683589)
Someone once told me that if I flipped a coin, there'd be a 50% chance that I'd get heads. I flipped it and got tails. Obviously that guy didn't know what he was talking about.

Nice!

Pack the raingear and just ride. Use the weather sites for a rough idea of the week, and to verify what season it is.

taylorcs 05-30-11 09:00 AM


Originally Posted by perspiration (Post 12682406)
Especially weather.com. Maybe it's La Nina messing everything up, but every morning the weather channels say it's going to be scattered showers...60% chance of rain...etc etc...then by 10am it says sunny for a couple hours, then by 1pm it says evening showers...then it just never rains.

This morning, the weather said scattered thunderstorms a couple times during the day, so I opted not to ride to work. I have no problems with riding in the rain, but I didn't want my brand new bike sitting in a thunderstorm for most of the day...

It drizzled a little bit on my drive in, but now it's freakin' sunny and gorgeous outside! The thunderstorms won't hit until 10pm, but I'm sure by 10pm they'll have cancelled that prediction too....

Every time I look out the damn window, the bright blue sky is taunting me, as I'm sure it will when I have to hop in the damn car and DRIVE home...

UGH! I'm pissed! Does anyone else get screwed over by unreliable weather forecasts?

I figured out where you lived while reading the post, before I even looked at your location. The forecasts out here have been awful lately.


Originally Posted by RTDub (Post 12687457)
In Colorado, the saying is "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes."

Here, it's "If you don't like the weather, change the channel".


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