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View Full Version here: : Is there anything better than Clear Outside?


RugbyRene
04-08-2023, 04:11 PM
Hi all,

I'm wondering if there is a weather app/site that is more accurate than Clear Outside. I'm currently in Sydney staring at a perfectly clear blue sky, yet when I look at Clear Outside it says there should be 100% cloud cover!

This isn't the first time this site has been wrong. In fact, lately it's been more wrong than right. So, does anyone have an app or a website that actually predicts the weather/cloud cover?

Rene

Startrek
04-08-2023, 05:31 PM
I use Cloud Free Night ( CFN ) and Weatherzone
Sydney’s a big place , I’ve had intermittent wispy high cloud most of the day, progressively getting worse as the day progressed

CFN report had high cloud in Sydney today so that’s was correct
Weatherzone had 28% to 70% cloud through the day so that was correct too
The high cloud this morning and to lunchtime was super high and wispy and hard to see when the Suns up , but it was definitely there.
No weather app or forecaster is 100% and yes they do get it wrong sometimes
Both CFN and Weatherzone have satellite imaging both day time and night which is really good. You can estimate when cloud is about arrive by tracking its movement every few hours. When I see cloud moving north east say for example, Canberra and it’s heading towards Sydney, I know I’ve got about and hour or hour an half to image before it’s time to pack up
You get to learn by experience the cloud patterns on the eastern seaboard of NSW. Unfortunately they sometimes arrive earlier than expected

Give CFN a go , I’m sure it will help and there’s plenty of useful info as well
Robert Dahni from CFN is always there to provide support and help
He added Ulladulla to the forecast list a few years ago upon my request ( my dark site Obs is located 7km north of Ulladulla

Cheers
Martin

AstroViking
04-08-2023, 09:11 PM
I tend to use three forecasting websites - CloudFreeNight, ClearOutside and yr.no (courtesy of the Norwegian Meteorological people.

Between those 3 and the Mk I eyeball, I have a reasonable guess at what the skies are going to be like.

Cheers,
V

Saturnine
04-08-2023, 11:23 PM
With CFN and thus Clear Outside, check what type of cloud cover they are forecasting. For tonight for instance , they say 100% cover, but that is 100% high cloud. The graphs and maps on CFN will tell you how much percentage of high, medium and low cloud will be coming over your particular area at a particular time.

ronson
05-08-2023, 03:55 PM
I’ve also been using this one: https://www.meteoblue.com/en/weather/outdoorsports/seeing/canberra_australia_2172517

Found useful the seeing column, Arc sec.