Bournemouth launches its own weather forecast (From Thisisdorset)
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Bournemouth launches its own weather forecast
2:54pm Thursday 20th May 2010 in Latest By Harriet Marsh and Caitlin Marsh
Bournemouth launches its own weather forecast
COME rain or shine, a pioneering weather forecasting web site could bring more than £2 million a year to Bournemouth.
Stung by the Met Office's faulty predictions last summer, which it blames for around 25,000 potential visitors staying away for Whitsun Bank Holiday, Bournemouth Tourism teamed up with Weathernet, in Hinton Road, to give tourists and residents detailed three-day forecasts.
The unique-to-Bournemouth service, at bournemouthweather.co.uk, also gives ideas of things to do whatever the weather.
Head of Bournemouth Tourism Mark Smith said: "Hopefully this will put an end to problems like last year's.
"People will be able to make the best use of their time, and the sunshine that we do have.
"For those sitting in a hotel planning their next day, this will be really useful, and equally residents hoping to have a barbecue in Kinson will know to expect a shower."
Mr Smith added that Bournemouth's mild climate means it will benefit hugely from accurate local predictions, and that giving visitors better information will encourage them to return.
Users also have the option to phone a weather reporter.
Weathernet will be studying satellite weather maps over Bournemouth Seafront area and giving sunrise, sunset times, sunburn index, pollen count, maximum temperature and winds.
Set up in 1995, it uses historical statistics from 1879.
The Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder is worth more than £1,000.
BOURNEMOUTH'S tourist trade will be given a welcome boost this weekend if weather predictions are anything to go by.
The next few days are set to bring beach weather as temperatures are forecast to reach 22c on both Saturday and Sunday and up to 24c on Monday and Tuesday.
WeatherNet's Dr Richard Wild, said: "In Bournemouth, the highest temperatures that will occur on Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be around 22C (72F) on both days.
"Then on Monday the temperature is predicted to be around 24C (75F) and on Tuesday the temperature is forecast to be between 22C and 24C. So there should be unbroken sunshine for the whole weekend and Monday."
Comments(28)
Sam Shepherd
says...
3:29pm Thu 20 May 10
Roginthesouth
says...
3:30pm Thu 20 May 10
WOC wrote:I was wondering the same.
Umm any chance of a link for the website???
Weathernet have a website and an 09 phone line (which may be the option to phone a weather reporter as mentioned above) but that is £1.50/min with an approx 2 min duration.
I wonder what "Teaming up" means? Have Bournemouth Tourism contracted and paid Weathernet to provide weather reports free to tourists and residents, or will they provide the service which then has to be paid for?
Mentioning £2 million as justification seems to indicate Bmth are paying for the service.
Some additional information required please.
Roginthesouth
says...
3:30pm Thu 20 May 10
WOC wrote:I was wondering the same.
Umm any chance of a link for the website???
Weathernet have a website and an 09 phone line (which may be the option to phone a weather reporter as mentioned above) but that is £1.50/min with an approx 2 min duration.
I wonder what "Teaming up" means? Have Bournemouth Tourism contracted and paid Weathernet to provide weather reports free to tourists and residents, or will they provide the service which then has to be paid for?
Mentioning £2 million as justification seems to indicate Bmth are paying for the service.
Some additional information required please.
Roginthesouth
says...
3:36pm Thu 20 May 10
Sam Shepherd wrote:Ah, just read your reply and seen the link.
Hello WOC, the link is under related links - where it says "check the weather on the new site for yourself". I'll add one in the story as well though.
Thanks it looks good.
WOC
says...
3:39pm Thu 20 May 10
BmthNewshound
says...
3:44pm Thu 20 May 10
No doubt we’ll be promised wall to wall sunshine throughout the summer and weather fronts which will produce perfect surfing conditions.
dunkindiver
says...
4:18pm Thu 20 May 10
"TOURS to Oxford, Stonehenge & Salisbury, Bath, Bath-Salisbury & Stonehenge full day tour or Isle of Purbeck. "
How much is Bournemouth Council paying to encourage our visitors to spend the day elsewhere?
Maureen Arthur
says...
4:52pm Thu 20 May 10
dunkindiver wrote:sunny 22c with a slight chance of a wave over the reef later in the day....
Things to do on a cloudy day in Bournemouth! "TOURS to Oxford, Stonehenge & Salisbury, Bath, Bath-Salisbury & Stonehenge full day tour or Isle of Purbeck. " How much is Bournemouth Council paying to encourage our visitors to spend the day elsewhere?
boardstiff
says...
5:18pm Thu 20 May 10
Maureen Arthur wrote:Have to say, Maureen, I'd rather be on Boscombe seafront, reef or no reef, than contending with the drunks on the quay and High Street of your own fair "hamlet".
dunkindiver wrote:sunny 22c with a slight chance of a wave over the reef later in the day....
Things to do on a cloudy day in Bournemouth! "TOURS to Oxford, Stonehenge & Salisbury, Bath, Bath-Salisbury & Stonehenge full day tour or Isle of Purbeck. " How much is Bournemouth Council paying to encourage our visitors to spend the day elsewhere?
Lewcee
says...
5:26pm Thu 20 May 10
beachcomber1
says...
6:03pm Thu 20 May 10
BmthNewshound wrote:LOL
Call me cynical but why should I believe a Bournemouth Council website over the Met Office and the good old BBC weather forecast ? After all Bournemouth Council do seem to have a problem dealing with reality when it doesn’t match their own spin (surf reef and Imax come immediately to mind).
No doubt we’ll be promised wall to wall sunshine throughout the summer and weather fronts which will produce perfect surfing conditions.
And don't forget the apparently perfect sandy beaches we've got. Ooops what's those stones cutting my bare feet?
rook
says...
6:12pm Thu 20 May 10
BmthNewshound wrote:You're cynical.
Call me cynical but why should I believe a Bournemouth Council website over the Met Office and the good old BBC weather forecast ? After all Bournemouth Council do seem to have a problem dealing with reality when it doesn’t match their own spin (surf reef and Imax come immediately to mind).
No doubt we’ll be promised wall to wall sunshine throughout the summer and weather fronts which will produce perfect surfing conditions.
And just suppose the Met/BBC weather forecast says it will be nice, but the new one says it's going to rain? Or is the new one simply going to show scorchio everywhere near Bournemouth on any Summer day or bank holiday no matter what the reality is?
If someone comes down from Birmingham based on 'our own' dedicated forecast and the weather's carp, how is that going to look to them? Will they get some sort of refund, or going to extremes, could they sue for misleading advertising?
Surely the best forecast is provided by the service with the most accurate models and best data, which would be the Met Office. A local webcam might show the state of the weather at a given moment better than a forecast, but I'm certain that when looking at the next day's forecast, the Met Office will be more accurate than any other service.
I don't see this as substantially different to a Bournemouth supporter driving up to see them play in Crewe, then getting there to find the Crewe website was just based on wishful thinking and the game's actually next week (but they can go and watch some trains or have a day in Blackpool)!
yankee
says...
6:57pm Thu 20 May 10
'Web surfing with the leader of Bournemouth Council.
18+ only. '
durotriges
says...
7:35pm Thu 20 May 10
(Lap)Top-man.
Imax for £7,000,000 +.
Invisible Reef.
Toby too dumb for goverment.
Own Weather system.
Satire means nothing in Bournemouth.
Hornedreaper
says...
8:20pm Thu 20 May 10
benjamin
says...
9:19pm Thu 20 May 10
crispy_pants
says...
9:28pm Thu 20 May 10
High Treason
says...
9:45pm Thu 20 May 10
Met Office forecast at 21-00 today, 18c Sat, 20c Sun and 19c Mon.
We shall see.
The-Bleeding-Obvious
says...
11:16pm Thu 20 May 10
And that Bournemouth council will be as good at predicting the weather as they were at predicting the success of the surf reef.
Xchurch-man
says...
11:40pm Thu 20 May 10
Spot the deliberate lie.
What?
Oh sorry, it's p*ss*ng down again, the surf reef does not work, and the council have ripped you all off.
Situation normal!!!!!
fartycat
says...
7:24am Fri 21 May 10
Humf
says...
8:20am Fri 21 May 10
Nickolai
says...
9:33am Fri 21 May 10
crispy_pants wrote:Too true ! Carl "yer' winds, Fern , are Westerly " Tyler was the forecast master .....
Just ask the ex Meridian weather forecaster Carl Tyler. He was always correct.
Azphreal
says...
12:39pm Fri 21 May 10
addntox
says...
12:57pm Fri 21 May 10
Maureen Arthur
says...
5:47pm Fri 21 May 10
boardstiff wrote:Hi stiff bored - we folk in fair poole enjoy our simple lives, so less of the cheek you big chimp!
Maureen Arthur wrote:Have to say, Maureen, I'd rather be on Boscombe seafront, reef or no reef, than contending with the drunks on the quay and High Street of your own fair "hamlet".dunkindiver wrote: Things to do on a cloudy day in Bournemouth! "TOURS to Oxford, Stonehenge & Salisbury, Bath, Bath-Salisbury & Stonehenge full day tour or Isle of Purbeck. " How much is Bournemouth Council paying to encourage our visitors to spend the day elsewhere?sunny 22c with a slight chance of a wave over the reef later in the day....
AtrocityExhibition
says...
6:59pm Sun 23 May 10
For the £3,000 outlay, this story got picked up by all the major UK newspapers, not to mention the BBC etc. Now what would that level of coverage cost for a standard advert in each of the papers that picked it up? A lot more, I'd wager.
And of course, this site isn't going to be anymore accurate than any other forecast!
(Forgive my cynicism, I work in marketing)
WOC says...
3:10pm Thu 20 May 10