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What are people using? I've been using https://www.mountain-forecast.com/ , is there a better option out there? I was thinking an app might be better, as the info would be saved for when I'm out of reception?
MWIS x 2
I use the Met Office app...has proved to be pretty accurate, but I've not had many days in the hills over the last few years so not sure quite how accurate it is for those.
Not mountain specific but www.windy.com is excellent. You can compare various sources and models.
Just to qualify MWIS for anyone not familiar (their words):
We write forecasts largely in the form of warnings; generally when there is little text, the conditions are fairly benign. Where possible we use wording that indicates the impact of the weather on the user, and particularly when there is the possibility of severe conditions, we try to include this eventuality in the forecast as a probability, even when the risk is low.
MWIS x 3.
Also SAIS for avalanche forecasts, which is a must if you're up the hill at this time of year.
I agree that Windy is also very good.
Daft question, which app or is there an app for MWIS forecasts?
+me for MWIS and SAIS for winter.
There's an app called Mountain Forecast Viewer. Third party I believe.
MWIS has to be the vaguest, most pessimistic forecasting tool out there. I've used Met Office for years and found it to be incredibly reliable. The ability to see what happens on the summit of Sca Fell Pike and what's going on in the valleys a week or 2 in advance is brilliant and hasn't let me down so far.
MWIS however tends to always be 'crap weather for most mountainous areas' 99% of the time, so you're rarely disappointed.
Does the Met Office do the forecast for the different altitudes? I'll have a look
Windy also has a webcam layer which is v. Useful if you want to actually see what the weather is like miles away. That's saved us drives to hills that are in low cloud a couple of times.
I also use weather online expert charts for the pressure charts a long way out.
I don't find mwis pessimistic.
I tend to use Windfinder. It seems to be quite good.
Other wise I look at any of the other six apps on the phone and pick the one I like Best.
The ability to see what happens on the summit of Sca Fell Pike and what’s going on in the valleys a week or 2 in advance
Anybody saying they can predict UK mountain weather two weeks in advance is a fraud.
Anybody saying they can predict UK mountain weather two weeks in advance is a fraud.
Well, the Express seems to have accurate forecasts a month or two in advance, I trust them implicitly.
🤭
I used to use WeatherPro, but since Apple combined Dark Skies with their own weather app, I use that - the small print indicates that they get their weather data from quite a few sources, including the Met Office in the U.K. Having live precipitation radar along with selected data for precipitation, wind, etc means fairly accurate forecasts a few days in advance.
I’d use WeatherPro otherwise, and if you subscribe, you get more detailed information about snow, etc for skiing, which would be useful for any high-altitude stuff like hiking.
Most weather apps just buy global forecast data which isnt very high resolution (being global) and doesn't predict complex temperate locations like ours very well. The Met Office is proven to be the most reliable for the UK.
Does the Met Office do the forecast for the different altitudes?
Not an app, but
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/specialist-forecasts/mountain
Met office
Xc weather
MWIS
MWIS is my go to, but I agree it can be a little pessimistic. That said, it’s best to be prepared so you won’t go wrong following it generally. I did have one walk in solid cloud all day and I was mightily annoyed as MWIS said 90% chance of cloud free munros…fuming. MWIS 90% cloud free I took as a dead cert!
In truth, I usually look at them all and pick the one I want to believe.
MWIS forecasts just say "there will be dragons" to make you stay at home. As stated they're overly pessimistic, probably to make you take it seriously but they can be hilariously silly at times.
I usually check 3 or 4 sources then choose the most reliable which varies by location. MeteoBlue is quite reliable in Europe.
I was in the Pyrenees with my brother a few years ago. He'd spend ages looking at forecasts from 10+ sites and then choose the one he liked the most.
a week or 2 in advance is brilliant and hasn’t let me down so far.
Can you pick some lottery numbers for me?
After 30+ years of working in an industry where we typically we would receive multiple, customised weather forecasts a day, I have seen massive improvement, however, putting faith in anything more than 72 hours in advance is nonsense.
Same as someone above
Met Office
MWIS
XCweather (specifically for waterskiing conditions in summer).
Also use sites like weatherline(Lakes) SAIS(Scotland) for winter conditions.
Met Office Mountain Weather and MWIS, in no particular order of preference
What was I saying about the Express weather forecasts?
MWIS has to be the vaguest, most pessimistic forecasting tool out there. I’ve used Met Office for years and found it to be incredibly reliable. The ability to see what happens on the summit of Sca Fell Pike and what’s going on in the valleys a week or 2 in advance is brilliant and hasn’t let me down so far.
MWIS however tends to always be ‘crap weather for most mountainous areas’ 99% of the time, so you’re rarely disappointed.
This is a load of bollocks.
I was thinking an app might be better, as the info would be saved for when I’m out of reception?
No need for forecast data when you're out because what you observe is more important. Forecasts are for planning.
As others have said a combo of MWIS and Met Office will see you right with reality often sitting somewhere between the two.
Beware of providers like Yr.no or others who use the ECMWF model. It's fine for general forecasts and often quite good for predicting rainfall but doesn't account for the effects of mountain terrain and often gets things like windspeed and temperatures badly wrong as a result.
Metcheck
SAIS and MWIS both used and relied on in the past.I haven't used yr.no for mountain weather but it may be worth a go as they are pretty accurate for low level up to 2 days in advance.
MWIS however tends to always be ‘crap weather for most mountainous areas’ 99% of the time, so you’re rarely disappointed.
This is not a representation on the MWIS I use and rely upon every time I'm up a mountain, which I've found to be expert and useful in communicating the potential for weather.
I use the Met Office summit-specific forecast more nowadays. The MWIS forecast areas are quite large, there's no hourly granularity, and they're generally pretty pessimistic and cautious.
XCweather is usually excellent for wind forecasts (some kayaking friends swear by it) but I find the rainfall forecast to be very hit and miss
I'm one of the creators of the mountain-forecast.com website.
We've just released a brand new version of our mobile app: https://www.mountain-forecast.com/pages/app_store
We'd love anyone's feedback on this.
mountain-forecast.com website.
Ooh, Nice !
Good that my local hill is covered. Any plans to add more hills / increase the range?
Eastern Ochils (Ben Cleuch), and the Touch Hills would be useful.