Met Office - Poor service

[Carl]

Am I the only one getting thoroughly hacked off at the poor delivery of service from the Met Office?

Every day this week there have been significant delays in their rainfall radar updating. For example, its currently stuck at 1930.

C'mon you bunch of incompetents - sort it out!

[Paul]

The Netweather one is nicely upto date now although there were some issues with the feed earlier, current one showing is 20.50 - perhaps you should consider a sub if having the latest info is important to you

[Carl]

The Netweather one is nicely upto date now although there were some issues with the feed earlier, current one showing is 20.50 - perhaps you should consider a sub if having the latest info is important to you

Fully intend to, just waiting for payday!

Carl

[MAF]

well i am ok here

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/se/...test_radar.html 20:00

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/index.html 20:30

but as Paul suggests the net weather radar updates every 5 mins and is pretty reliable all year round.

[Geordiesnow]

Am I the only one getting thoroughly hacked off at the poor delivery of service from the Met Office?

Every day this week there have been significant delays in their rainfall radar updating. For example, its currently stuck at 1930.

C'mon you bunch of incompetents - sort it out!

It has been poor in the last few days and always seems to be stuck at 19:00.

Still i will never pay for the NW radar even if its reliable - me parents won't accept it anyways and why use a one that costs when we can use a free radar which is mostly reliable.

Edited June 15, 2007 by Geordiesnow

[flagpole]

why use a one that costs when we can use a free radar which is mostly reliable.

Cos it's a zillion times better and you get what you pay for I guess!

The MetO Radar is still stuck at 4pm.

[Geordiesnow]

Cos it's a zillion times better and you get what you pay for I guess!

The MetO Radar is still stuck at 4pm.

Well we all got different points of view i guess. Most people said today the radar has been stuck since 4 but mine is working fine after a glitch at 7. Despite the problems i prefer to have a free radar than a 1 thats costs. I guess NW could make that 5 min radar free but then we would live in too much of a perfect world then .

[Tom D]

mine is stuck at 4pm!

perhaps it's a problem with ISPs?

if it's working fine for some but not others, or different times then what can be going on?

well i am ok here

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/se/...test_radar.html 20:00

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/index.html 20:30

but as Paul suggests the net weather radar updates every 5 mins and is pretty reliable all year round.

they come up with 1600 for me

Virgin Broadband, SG12, Ware, Hertfordshire

[flagpole]

I guess NW could make that 5 min radar free but then we would live in too much of a perfect world then .

I'm guessing the radar costs NW an awful lot of money. There is a lot on the site that IS free but I certainly wouldn't begrudge a few quid if I was more interested in the forecasting side. A radar that updates every 5 minutes is a damn sight better than one that updates every half hour, if it feels like it, only when there is a 'y' in the month and if it's in the right mood

I'm with Virgin too Tommy so maybe it is an issue with them?

[Tom D]

I'm guessing the radar costs NW an awful lot of money. There is a lot on the site that IS free but I certainly wouldn't begrudge a few quid if I was more interested in the forecasting side. A radar that updates every 5 minutes is a damn sight better than one that updates every half hour, if it feels like it, only when there is a 'y' in the month and if it's in the right mood

I'm with Virgin too Tommy so maybe it is an issue with them?

Looks likely

None of the entire Met Office website appears to have been updated whatsoever for me, nothing after 1600.

[J10]

Now they have sacked Katie, perhaps the service will get better.

[Geordiesnow]

I'm guessing the radar costs NW an awful lot of money. There is a lot on the site that IS free but I certainly wouldn't begrudge a few quid if I was more interested in the forecasting side. A radar that updates every 5 minutes is a damn sight better than one that updates every half hour, if it feels like it, only when there is a 'y' in the month and if it's in the right mood

I'm with Virgin too Tommy so maybe it is an issue with them?

Even if i wanted the buy NW rainfall radar i probably won't be allowed because me dad knows the met office supplies a free radar so whats the point plus its there money at the end of the day.

I also think it has nothing to do with being on Virgin broadband, i'm on Virgin aswell so i highly doubt its anything to do with them. Maybe because i'm on windows XP? Who knows?

[flagpole]

I also think it has nothing to do with being on Virgin broadband, i'm on Virgin aswell so i highly doubt its anything to do with them. Maybe because i'm on windows XP? Who knows?

I think they have several servers so maybe ours has a glitch? I'm on XP hun. Maybe someone local could go and kick it?

[Tom D]

Even if i wanted the buy NW rainfall radar i probably won't be allowed because me dad knows the met office supplies a free radar so whats the point plus its there money at the end of the day.

I also think it has nothing to do with being on Virgin broadband, i'm on Virgin aswell so i highly doubt its anything to do with them. Maybe because i'm on windows XP? Who knows?

I'm on Vista o_0

[Geordiesnow]

I think they have several servers so maybe ours has a glitch? I'm on XP hun. Maybe someone local could go and kick it?

They do need a kick up the backside don't they? lol. Because recently there service has been awful and i suggest you should send a complaint to them(if thats possible).

[MAF]

well i don't know why its not working for some. but slagging the met office up will not make it work. i am sure the glitch is not with them if som people are getting latest info from them, thus it must be isp's

i can see both sides of the argument over paying for a service or not. and those who do pay for the 5 minute updates from NW are obviously people who are interested enough to need it. i wonder though, would you slag NW off if the 5 min radar was not refreshing as it should??

Edited June 15, 2007 by Mick

[Paul]

The problem sounds to me like an ISP cache or browser cache isn't updating properly rather than being something with the UKMO. Try deleting your cache and restarting your modem, may clear it. As for the UKMO as a paying customer I have to say I think their service is excellent, ok there is the occasional problem with things but lets face it, how many companies don't have the odd problem with servers or whatever? Whenever they do have a problem their staff are extremely helpful and do their best to sort things asap, and you can't really ask more than that.

[Marcus_surfer]

The metoffice is looking a right mess at the moment with text all in the wrong place and rainfall radar not updating!

[flagpole]

Mine has updated now and is fine B)

[Carl]

The problem sounds to me like an ISP cache or browser cache isn't updating properly rather than being something with the UKMO. Try deleting your cache and restarting your modem, may clear it. As for the UKMO as a paying customer I have to say I think their service is excellent, ok there is the occasional problem with things but lets face it, how many companies don't have the odd problem with servers or whatever? Whenever they do have a problem their staff are extremely helpful and do their best to sort things asap, and you can't really ask more than that.

For me I can be certain its not a problem at my end - I work in IT and have done all the usual diagnostics.

The radar updates regularly "most" of the time but I suspect it has something to do with load (i.e. the problems only seem to occur when there is a reason for high demand - such as during poor weather as at present and over the last few days).

As a side issue, to those who consider the met office radar free - it isn't, it comes out of funds from the Treasury which is paid for from our taxes - so they should do better with their resources.

That said, the NW radar is obviously a premium service and for the sake of a few quid per month, certainly worth it!

[Nick H]

The Met Office site is actually very good since the update (last year?). There are very few government websites and services generally that offer very good service (the best govt website I've found, it pains me to say, is HMRC, which is excellent).

Edited June 15, 2007 by Nick H

[Thundery wintry showers]

The thing with the N-W extra radar is that you don't have to pay the full price of N-W Extra to access the radar. You can access the 5-minute radar for £23.95 per year (which equates to approximately £2 per month.) In general the stuff on N-W that is premium, is premium because it costs a fair amount of money to provide the service on the website and unfortunately these costs can only realistically be met by having them in premium areas.

I can vouch for the 5 min radar being excellent- it's very high detail and updates every 5 minutes, which you can't get with free radar services.

As for the Met Office website, I didn't think that much of it when I first started browsing it back in 2000, but I think the site has improved remarkably over the past several years. The monthly assessments/contoured maps, and stats for 30-year averages and station data, are particularly good. The radar is more detailed than most other 'free' radars you'd find, and I don't think any free radars update at less than 30-minute intervals.

Edited June 15, 2007 by Thundery wintry showers

[MAF]

For me I can be certain its not a problem at my end - I work in IT and have done all the usual diagnostics.

The radar updates regularly "most" of the time but I suspect it has something to do with load (i.e. the problems only seem to occur when there is a reason for high demand - such as during poor weather as at present and over the last few days).

As a side issue, to those who consider the met office radar free - it isn't, it comes out of funds from the Treasury which is paid for from our taxes - so they should do better with their resources.

That said, the NW radar is obviously a premium service and for the sake of a few quid per month, certainly worth it!

and are there not other sites that suffer this problem? i know NW suffered badly not so long ago when the demand was very high

as for you saying its ""not a problem at my end "" i thought that you would have realised that already. if i can get the latest update then the problem is obviously an isp one and not a local one.

The thing with the N-W extra radar is that you don't have to pay the full price of N-W Extra to access the radar. You can access the 5-minute radar for £23.95 per year (which equates to approximately £2 per month.) In general the stuff on N-W that is premium, is premium because it costs a fair amount of money to provide the service on the website and unfortunately these costs can only realistically be met by having them in premium areas.

I can vouch for the 5 min radar being excellent- it's very high detail and updates every 5 minutes, which you can't get with free radar services.

As for the Met Office website, I didn't think that much of it when I first started browsing it back in 2000, but I think the site has improved remarkably over the past several years. The monthly assessments/contoured maps, and stats for 30-year averages and station data, are particularly good. The radar is more detailed than most other 'free' radars you'd find, and I don't think any free radars update at less than 30-minute intervals.

yes TWS it has improved, and the site as a whole is a good site to learn from and get lots of info from. so as a government department they do pretty well.

[Carl]

The thing with the N-W extra radar is that you don't have to pay the full price of N-W Extra to access the radar. You can access the 5-minute radar for £23.95 per year (which equates to approximately £2 per month.) In general the stuff on N-W that is premium, is premium because it costs a fair amount of money to provide the service on the website and unfortunately these costs can only realistically be met by having them in premium areas.

I can vouch for the 5 min radar being excellent- it's very high detail and updates every 5 minutes, which you can't get with free radar services.

As for the Met Office website, I didn't think that much of it when I first started browsing it back in 2000, but I think the site has improved remarkably over the past several years. The monthly assessments/contoured maps, and stats for 30-year averages and station data, are particularly good. The radar is more detailed than most other 'free' radars you'd find, and I don't think any free radars update at less than 30-minute intervals.

I'm using premium in the sense that is a paid for service and delivers more functionality that whats presently available for free. Certainly not knocking the price.. its a bargin!

I've used the Met Office site for as long as I can remember and agree its much better than it was just a shame it falls down in this respect. Hopefully they'll sort it.

As for sub 30 min updates, the only one I can think of FOC is http://www.meteogroup.co.uk/index.php?id=2755

[MAF]

..................

I've used the Met Office site for as long as I can remember and agree its much better than it was just a shame it falls down in this respect. Hopefully they'll sort it.

but Carl, Met Office have no problem. i am getting constant updates and have been all night. how can they have a problem if i can see the refreshes all the time??? come on, stop knocking the Met Office site, its not them thats playing up.