Solar: this website predicts cloud cover in %age terms

Kernel_Sanders

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=SK9
Useful if you like to stay in and utilise your most productive hours. You tap in the first part of your postcode and it gives you the most detailed forecast, but with at-a-glance graphics.
It doesn't always display properly however; it should look like this...
[IMG][/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Dave_Fowler

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=SK9
Useful if you like to stay in and utilise your most productive hours. You tap in the first part of your postcode and it gives you the most detailed forecast, but with at-a-glance graphics.
It doesn't always display properly however; it should look like this...
[IMG][/img] Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Does anyone else find they have a problem with the Metcheck web page with errors reported in the script whenever you look at it before 12:30pm? I've not been able to load the page in the morning for months. And I can't find a way of contacting them to tell them of the problem.

Dave F

grahamc2003

Hi Dave, worked fine for me last night with my post code, but seems to be crashing with a script error at the moment, so it looks like a temporary error (I hope - it'sd a really useful site, when it works!).

Dave_Fowler

grahamc2003 wrote: »

Hi Dave, worked fine for me last night with my post code, but seems to be crashing with a script error at the moment, so it looks like a temporary error (I hope - it'sd a really useful site, when it works!).

Hi Graham,

You'll find it works ok soon after midday. Strangely, if you look at next week's weather, this will load correctly.

The script error on the site started roughly last July when it would not load the page at any time of day. Then, around New Year, it started to load correctly in the afternoon. I'm surprised no one from Metcheck has noticed the fault.

Dave F

Kernel_Sanders

You can see why I had to attach the screenprint! I didn't realise the faults were time based.
I forgot to state that cloud cover is much harder to predict than, say, wind or rain. For example, the promised 6% over Wednesday lunchtime and early afternoon predicted on Monday has now changed to the cloud cover we had today (Tuesday).

EricMears

I've been using the Metcheck webpage for several yearsand find it to give a far better idea of local conditions than do the Met Office or BBC.

I also find their attempt to predict %ge cloud cover very useful for predicting solar panel performance and their estimate of amounts of rainfall alert me to the possibility of my rainwater storage tanks overflowing.

Until about a year ago, I'd have it permanently displayed on my computer. However, since then I've not been able to run it for more than four or five hours without getting the script errors noted by others above. Before I can re-run that webpage, I find I need to stop IE, clear Metcheck's cookies and reboot computer.

I have tried to contact Metcheck about the problem but all I ever get is an automated reply basically saying that "we can't be bothered to answer queries".

EricMears

Still getting problems accessing Metcheck site but I have found that it sometimes (only sometimes) helps to get today's forecast with this link

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/dayforecast.asp?zipcode=chesterfield&day=0

rather than this one
http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/FREE/today.asp?zipcode=chesterfield


That of course only works if you're looking for the Chesterfield area forecast but it shouldn't take a great deal of effort to work out what your local equivalent is.

It's not quite the same display - always showing midnight to midnight rather than now to this time tomorrow - but a much friendlier display than I generally get.