Incorrect Weather Information

[Sophon]

Over the last 2-3 months whenever I in the evening have selected to see the weather information for Bangkok, the "Current weather information" almost always reports the weather as "Rainy". Out of maybe 30-40 evenings when I have checked the weather, I have only once seen anything other than rainy being reported as the current weather. I know the weather information is probably collected in another part of Bangkok to where I live (probably near the airport), but there is no way that it has actually been raining anywhere in Bangkok on all of these occasions. The current weather in Bangkok in the evening is just about always reported as "Rainy", even when the rest of the weather informaion on the same page indicates that no rain will be falling the entire day (or week).

The latest example of this problem is this evening where the weather is being reported as:

Current weather conditions for Bangkok, Bangkok

Temperature: 25.3 Celcius

Relative humidity: 65 %

Pressure: 1011.11 millibar

Wind direction : Still wind

Visibility : 4.0 km.

Weather : Rainy

Observed at Bangkok, Bangkok weather station at 19:00 (about 2 hours ago) local time.

And today (as well as this evening) has been a very nice and pleasant day without even a drop of rain. The weather information is really of very little use if it's consistently incorrect, so could you please investigate why the Bangkok weather is stuck on "Rainy"?

I don't know is similar problems are present for other locations.

Thanks in advance.

Sophon

Edited January 17, 2011 by Sophon

[happyrobert]

Don't know about the rain but how can the wind be still?

[gotlost]

Weather forecasting has always been a crap shoot and in Thailand it is no different. The forecast from any source is crap.

[Sophon]

Weather forecasting has always been a crap shoot and in Thailand it is no different. The forecast from any source is crap.

Yes, but this is not "forecasting" but reporting of current weather conditions. It really shouldn't be that difficult to report wether it's raining or not at the moment.

And what do you know, we are having thunderstorms today:

Current weather conditions for Bangkok, Bangkok

Temperature: 28.5 Celcius

Relative humidity: 66 %

Pressure: 1010.32 millibar

Wind direction : Still wind

Visibility : 4.0 km.

Weather : Thunder storm

Observed at Bangkok, Bangkok weather station at 16:00 (about 1 hours ago) local time.

But to be fair, the last four nights I havent seen any reports of rain. But still, if the current weather conditions are blatantly wrong most of the time, then what's the point?

Sophon

[whybother]

Weather forecasting has always been a crap shoot and in Thailand it is no different. The forecast from any source is crap.

Yes, but this is not "forecasting" but reporting of current weather conditions. It really shouldn't be that difficult to report wether it's raining or not at the moment.

And what do you know, we are having thunderstorms today:

Current weather conditions for Bangkok, Bangkok

Temperature: 28.5 Celcius

Relative humidity: 66 %

Pressure: 1010.32 millibar

Wind direction : Still wind

Visibility : 4.0 km.

Weather : Thunder storm

Observed at Bangkok, Bangkok weather station at 16:00 (about 1 hours ago) local time.

But to be fair, the last four nights I havent seen any reports of rain. But still, if the current weather conditions are blatantly wrong most of the time, then what's the point?

Sophon

I think one of the problems for Bangkok is that sometimes the weather can be very isolated, particularly in relation to thunderstorms. I have been stuck in a thunderstorm for a couple of hours across the river (near Rama 9 bridge) only to get home (Huay Kwang) to see that there hasn't been a drop of rain.

[ignis]

Yep.. many a time I have driven the 5 km to Tesco Express, left home blue sky and sunshine but around Tesco Express raining or heavy thunderstorms , driving home the rain just stops and the road is dry, sunshine all day at home.

Often driven the next 50 km to Bangkok with rain most of the way.

Many a time friends in Bangkok say its raining, or there floods, but not seen a drop where I live.

Always thought it odd as a kid, when it rained most of the time is was at the front of the house, the back and garden was perfectly dry and never had a drop.

Edited January 24, 2011 by ignis

[dantilley]

I can see the point here actually, despite the fact that it might seem a bit pedantic. It now says its "rainy". It's not even close to raining anywhere in bangkok that I'm aware of (yes, there might be an isolated shower at the Bangkok weather station - however it seems to be getting a lot of these freak weather conditions there...).

Living in Bangkok I can look out the window to see what the weather's like, but I do take the point that it seems a bit pointless to publish information which is incorrect most of the time.

[Mossfinn]

I think you might be better off reading this Thread

[Sophon]

I think you might be better off reading this Thread

That link doesn't work for me.

And it's definitely not a question of a local weather phenomenom. We have had next to no rain the last month or two in Bangkok, but yet the Thai Visa weather information consistently reports the current weather as "rainy".

Case in point:

Current weather conditions for Bangkok, Bangkok

Temperature: 27.3 Celcius

Relative humidity: 79 %

Pressure: 1011.82 millibar

Wind direction : Still wind

Visibility : 4.0 km.

Weather : Rainy

Observed at Bangkok, Bangkok weather station at 19:00 (about 3 hours ago) local time.

Sophon