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[Deleted User]

Are you particularly surprised that a generalised area temperature forecast does not exactly match accurate local temperature measurement at all times?

The temperature in my front and back gardens is different - which should the BBC be telling me, or should I expect two forecasts?

mmmmikey

My outside thermometer is in a (cheapo!) Stevenson Screen and consistently gives me readings within a degree of the local Met Office weather stations. I haven't compared it with the forecast temperatures, but you've piqued my interest so I'll start checking

Jyana

It depends on where you place it; the air flow around it, sun shining on it, etc. You can place 10 in your garden and get 10 different readings, or like some people this last summer get readings of 50C if placing it incorrectly.

Forecasters have reading over time as well as the placing of equipment, which is of course digitally calibrated and generally more accurate than most garden thermometers.

Etch

I've noticed the same - overnight minima (digital sensor in my greenhouse) for the last 2 nights have been at least 2 degrees lower than the Met Office forecasts. The nearest Met Office observations agree with my readings though.

Central southern England: this morning's minimum -5.7°C, currently reading 1.2°C (but there is some weak sun giving a bit of solar heating)

Keep_pedalling

Average temps are just that and will vary considerable over very short distances, and cheap thermometers don’t have a great level of accuracy (+/- 2 degrees C is not unusual). 

Mstty

https://magicseaweed.com/Glasgow-Airport-Weather-Station/63598/

RelievedSheff

We have noticed the opposite. It is milder here (although still cold) than they are forecasting.

Was supposed to be down to -3 last night but it was only 0 degrees at 6am this morning.

jacko220

Deleted_User said:

So, we stayed well below zero for most off the day - forecasts were saying it should be 1,2,3 degrees. It eventually warmed up in the polytunnel when the sun was full on it. But forecasts are saying we shouldn't reach -1 until 11pm or so and we're -2 already by 4pm.

Our readings are right - put water out in a bowl for the dogs and it freezes solid quickly.

It's so unusual for forecasts to be so badly wrong  in our area over a period of a few days. Also, we're always milder than surrounding areas due to being in a little warm microclimate.

The only thing I can think of is that it's due to where the weather is coming from? Our houses are at the top of a hill on one side of a valley (not a big hill - just undulating countryside). There's nothing but open countryside for as far as you can see. The slope going down from our garden is N/E facing. I'm wondering if this unusual weather pattern (colder than surrounding areas/forecasts) could be down to the weather fronts coming from exactly the wrong direction for us?

Another thing that supports this is that the rooms all along that side of the house are noticeably colder than the front of the house (more so than usual).

Forecasts are saying -5 for tonight - so I'm hoping we're not going to be the -3 degrees colder than forecast than we've had so far!! 

Deleted_User said:

So, we stayed well below zero for most off the day - forecasts were saying it should be 1,2,3 degrees. It eventually warmed up in the polytunnel when the sun was full on it. But forecasts are saying we shouldn't reach -1 until 11pm or so and we're -2 already by 4pm.

Our readings are right - put water out in a bowl for the dogs and it freezes solid quickly.

It's so unusual for forecasts to be so badly wrong  in our area over a period of a few days. Also, we're always milder than surrounding areas due to being in a little warm microclimate.

The only thing I can think of is that it's due to where the weather is coming from? Our houses are at the top of a hill on one side of a valley (not a big hill - just undulating countryside). There's nothing but open countryside for as far as you can see. The slope going down from our garden is N/E facing. I'm wondering if this unusual weather pattern (colder than surrounding areas/forecasts) could be down to the weather fronts coming from exactly the wrong direction for us?

Another thing that supports this is that the rooms all along that side of the house are noticeably colder than the front of the house (more so than usual).

Forecasts are saying -5 for tonight - so I'm hoping we're not going to be the -3 degrees colder than forecast than we've had so far!! 

Met readings are at Airfields and interpolated for other areas hence the difference it is probably the algorithm trying to keep up with the cold snap that makes the difference your thermometers are probably correct, the interpolation from airfield sis probably wrong. Hope this helps.

cymruchris

I've got an outside smart thermostat switch that stops the pond fountain pump operating at 2 degrees or below. It's pretty much on the nail measurement wise to what's on my Echo device under my PC which shows my local temperature on screen. The pond was frozen over for the first time this year this morning. You might have had consistent readings through the year in general, but temperatures can vary considerably depending on wind direction, speed, sunlight, whether you live in a valley or on a mountain top, in the city or the countryside (as I'm sure you already know). You might have just been lucky to see the correct corresponding temperatures through the year. I don't think there's any conspiracy going on by the BBC to make us think we are warmer than we are. 

molerat

at 16.50 Glasgow airport +1 and Prestwick 0 deg

My thermometer is reading +2.3 and the airfield 5km away which I can see out the bedroom window was reporting +4 at 16.20. I am inland and about 170 ft above them though and they are right on the coast.  The next airfield about 10km west is reporting +3 and another 20km west reporting +1