New Look Mtn Weather Forecast Launched.

[Polar Maritime]

Changes have been made to the Mountain Area Forecast from the Met Office, to make the online service more user friendly. There are some small but worthwhile improvements. 

 

 

The recent tweaks are based on feedback from a consultation with users. From this the Met Office identified two distinct sets of users, they tell us, so their updates are based on the needs of both casual general walkers and rescue services/mountain pros (which category seems to include all climbers and proper hillwalkers, from what we can establish).  

The changes are more evolutionary than revolutionary:

• The mountain service has now been integrated with the Met Office's national severe weather warnings. New graphics on the homepage make the link more explicit between a given forecast area and any weather hazard warnings that have been issued for that area.
• Forecasts are more easily printable, so that walkers can take them on the hill and accommodation providers and outdoor shops can post copies up.
• The pages are now more effective when viewed on a tablet or smartphone too, for easy checking when you're on the go. Great if you're out for several days (assuming there's internet coverage).
• Forecasts are still issued twice daily, but now the forecast period is 24 hours. Previously it only covered the hours of daylight. That's good news for rescue teams, wild campers or anyone doing a 24-hour challenge.
• From the mountain forecast pages you can access individual summit forecasts for over 500 UK hills.
• There's a bunch of notes and videos on mountain safety.
• Clear(ish) link to the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS).

Now if they can just guarantee dry mountain rock til November, followed by a six-month deep freeze...

 

Edited September 26, 2013 by Polar Maritime

[Kiwi]

 

Changes have been made to the Mountain Area Forecast from the Met Office, to make the online service more user friendly. There are some small but worthwhile improvements.

 

The recent tweaks are based on feedback from a consultation with users. From this the Met Office identified two distinct sets of users, they tell us, so their updates are based on the needs of both casual general walkers and rescue services/mountain pros (which category seems to include all climbers and proper hillwalkers, from what we can establish).

The changes are more evolutionary than revolutionary:

[*]The mountain service has now been integrated with the Met Office's national severe weather warnings. New graphics on the homepage make the link more explicit between a given forecast area and any weather hazard warnings that have been issued for that area.

[*]Forecasts are more easily printable, so that walkers can take them on the hill and accommodation providers and outdoor shops can post copies up.

[*]The pages are now more effective when viewed on a tablet or smartphone too, for easy checking when you're on the go. Great if you're out for several days (assuming there's internet coverage).

[*]Forecasts are still issued twice daily, but now the forecast period is 24 hours. Previously it only covered the hours of daylight. That's good news for rescue teams, wild campers or anyone doing a 24-hour challenge.

[*]From the mountain forecast pages you can access individual summit forecasts for over 500 UK hills.

[*]There's a bunch of notes and videos on mountain safety.

[*]Clear(ish) link to the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS).

Now if they can just guarantee dry mountain rock til November, followed by a six-month deep freeze...

 

 

 Very worthwhile changes here,and while they describe them as "tweaks" and "more evolutionary than revolutionary".......they seem to be to be a big leap forward.

Great!!....much, much more user friendly.......and about time they had a link to the SAIS.

[Polar Maritime]

Yes Kiwi, a big leap forward and much clearer on the eye. I just hope more people use this information before heading for the hill's this winter, not long now before the ice returns, i can't wait, Crampons at the ready !

[Mountain Snow]

Does look like an improvement but I'll still keep using Geoff Monk's excellent forecasts at www.mwis.org.uk. Very clear, easy to read in PDF form, without all the fancy graphics.

[Kiwi]

Yes Kiwi, a big leap forward and much clearer on the eye. I just hope more people use this information before heading for the hill's this winter, not long now before the ice returns, i can't wait, Crampons at the ready !

As you say PM, essential info, now presented in a much clearer format which will, hopefully, encourage everyone to look at the current and forecast conditions before heading into the hills. I agree MS.. the MWIS site is excellent, and another that I always look at. But I suspect that a large number of casual venturers into the hills, who should really be more clued up than they are of conditions, are more likely to be aware of the met office site.Crampons still buried under a serious avalanche of gear in my garage, but looking forward to a good winter and spring to come! Edited September 26, 2013 by Kiwi

[johnholmes]

Does look like an improvement but I'll still keep using Geoff Monk's excellent forecasts at www.mwis.org.uk. Very clear, easy to read in PDF form, without all the fancy graphics.

 

 

Ironic really that Geoff ex forecaster with UK Met is the one who finally forced Met to begin issuing reasonable forecasts about 2 years ago. It took him quite a while to get folk in Scotland to accept he was offering a first class forecast service but he made it in the end. I went to a RMetSoc talk by him at Leeds Uni last year and he has lost none of the enthusiasm I knew with him when we both worked in UK Met decades ago!.