Skippy Sky

[Gjn200]

How good is Skippy Sky?

Apparently I've got 80% cloud cover tomorrow morning:question:

[pgc hunter]

It seems to do pretty well for cloud cover, atleast within the next 24-48 hours, but even further out it works well as a rough guide. But for predicting seeing, it is utterly useless.

[michaellxv]

Graham, go outside now. We have 100% cloud cover but it's all high cloud and you can still see the moon. On skippy sky have a look separately at the low cloud (none), middle cloud (none) and high cloud (this is where it all is).
I'll be getting up regardless.:screwy:

[Gjn200]

Ahh, did'nt see that bit. Hoping for something cool in the morning as today (6:00am) the moon was in a orange volcanic ash (at a guess) haze.

[RobF]

This close in do yourself a favour and use the best cloud models available to Aussies from our own BOM guys. Phil Hart recommends this and its definitely worth figuring out what the various options offer. Doesn't look like there's an option for Adelaide area, so Access-A the next best option.

Its very rare these models don't offer amazing fidelity for predicting cloud movement. Skippy, 7T and others use the excellent NOAA data which is a great backup/confirmation but not quite as "hi res".

http://www.cawcr.gov.au/staff/ljr/projects/forcloops.htm

[OneOfOne]

The prediction for Melbourne yesterday, for this morning (eclipse), was clear all night, it was, clear for the ecliplse, it was, with cloud by 7am, the cloud started to roll in about 6.

However, there have been times when it has been totally wrong. Unfortunately, that is the nature of the weather in Melbourne.

[Paul Haese]

Skippy sky during Autumn, Winter and Spring is often completely and utterly wrong. It frequently predicts clear sky this time of year and it is wrong, wrong and wrong. Last night was one of the rare occassions when it was actually correct. ie we had 100% high cloud, it was predicting it, but I could have predicted that too, by the ruddy great cloud bank that covered half of SA at lunch time yesterday.

During summer this is pretty reliable but during winter it is hardly ever right. I do hate wasting money on fuel when it says it will be clear and it is 100% cloud covered.

[ballaratdragons]

I find Skippy Sky correct at my location about 80% of the time.

But I don't rely on it. I use it in conjunction with BOM cloud: http://www.weatherzone.com.au/satellite.jsp?lt=wzstate&lc=vic

and Wundermap: http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/?sat=1

Once you learn the controls of Wundermap you will be pleasantly suprised.
I find it to be 100% accurate all the time. Even at detecting and showing thin fog in sections of my paddocks!
Truly amazing!!
Zoom right into your own street and see cloud, fog, rain etc in real time (or as close as possible to real time).
Zoom out and see what is coming.

[asimov]

Let me put it this way: Right now (4:10AM) it's 80% cloud coverage (high cloud). Skippy Sky says that ain't right, there's NO cloud for at least 1000 K's. 6 hrs each side of 'now'.

Skippy Sky says the jetstream is in the red (110 + knots) but the seeing in between clouds is at least 7.5/10.

:lol:

[bartman]

Thanks Ken and Rob for the additional sites. I was unaware of them!
SkippySky has been fairly good for my location (Perth/Pingelly).
Cheers
Bartman

[RobF]

Sounds good - will have to invest some time figuring it out.
Yes - thanks Ken

[andrew_d_cool]

That'd be because the professional literature says that the boundary layer,of the atmosphere, i.e. the 1-2km closest to the surface has a far greater effect than winds at the Tropopause (jetstream). Therefore Skippysky's Seeing index is weighted to favour those times when there's very little low level wind.

"NO cloud?!?!" Skippysky _never_ says any such thing! As you know from reading the online Help, each contour colour represents a range of 10%, so the Darkest blue means cloud cover somewhere in the range of 0..10%.

The online Help goes on to explain that the NOAA data for each 3 hour period is an average of what the model predicts. It's not a snapshot for say 2030 hours.

Which is why the Author of Skippysky goes to some length in the online Help to repeatedly stress the need to look at trends in the data.

Regards,

The Author.