weather sites?

[lightstand]

Ok not a location question, but a when question. What websites do people like for predicting the weather? I have been using the satellite image off weather.com, but am curious if others have different suggestions.  Of course I'm asking this at 4:30am with sprinkles wondering if there will be any direct dawn light getting through.

Thanks Jeff

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I generally use weatherunderground.com
They are pretty good for anywhere in the U.S. and have links to similar sites in many other countries as well.

[robertvine]

I generally use weatherunderground.com
They are pretty good for anywhere in the U.S. and have links to similar sites in many other countries as well.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=115322\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

If you can get access to aviation weather forecasts, try to learn to decipher them. Most places you will photograph have an airport nearby so you can use the forecasts for the airport. Here I can get a 12 hourly forecast as well as a more accurate 3 hourly forecast. Example:

TAF YMES 030500Z 030618
30012KT 9999 SCT030
FM10 30005KT 9999 SCT030
PROB30 INTER 0610 VRB30KT 3000 TSRA SCT010 SCT030CB
RMK FM06 MOD TURB BLW 5000FT TILL 12
T 20 16 14 13 Q 997 999 1001 1001

Basically this means that it will be quite nice until about 1600 local where there is a 30% probability of thunderstorms. I find these forecasts much more detailed and accurate than normal weather forecasts as they give you times things will happen as well as such events as fog, haze, snow, sleet, hail, dust, smoke etc etc.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

If you can get access to aviation weather forecasts, try to learn to decipher them. Most places you will photograph have an airport nearby so you can use the forecasts for the airport. Here I can get a 12 hourly forecast as well as a more accurate 3 hourly forecast. Example:

TAF YMES 030500Z 030618
30012KT 9999 SCT030
FM10 30005KT 9999 SCT030
PROB30 INTER 0610 VRB30KT 3000 TSRA SCT010 SCT030CB
RMK FM06 MOD TURB BLW 5000FT TILL 12
T 20 16 14 13 Q 997 999 1001 1001

Basically this means that it will be quite nice until about 1600 local where there is a 30% probability of thunderstorms. I find these forecasts much more detailed and accurate than normal weather forecasts as they give you times things will happen as well as such events as fog, haze, snow, sleet, hail, dust, smoke etc etc.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=115479\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hmmm. I wonder if Babelfish can translate that stuff into English.  

[lightstand]

Thanks for the responses, how do you decipher what info you find online relating to how the sky is going to look? A partly cloudy forecast seems to range from nice puffy clouds with a deep blue sky to a hazy white with almost no direct light. Any thoughts or insights how to predict wether the sky is going to have blue or just haze? Thanks jeff

[TurnerJon]

Try noaa.gov

[Sherri Meyer]

I usually check the weather on http://www.weatherunderground.com. But, when I'm planning a trip/photo shoot and I want to know the sunrise/set and the moonrise/set, I use http://www.almanac.com. It is very accurate.

Hope this helps,
Sherri

http://www.sherrimeyer.com
http://www.sherrimeyer.com/Blog

[andyfrazer]

Although weatherunderground.com is very good, I *strongly* suggest avoiding all automated websites (weather.com, etc.). Instead, search Google or Yahoo! for an online local newspaper or television station for your destination. These published weather reports are usually checked by a meteorologist and seem to be vastly more accurate than the automated weather sites.

[koolk2]

I use this site.  Clear Sky.  This is not a weather site, but an astronomers site.  It shows expected cloud cover which can be a good indication of good/bad lighting conditions.

Ken