metservice.co.nz usage warning

[CookMySock]

I'm planning a trip down the desert road in the next few days (middle of winter), so I go to http://www.metservice.co.nz and use the search facility "desert road". This search returns a bunch of results so I click on the very first one and get taken to what is very clearly a "Road Snowfall" page, and hey theres no warnings for any road in New Zealand! Bloody hell thats awesome, coz yesterday there were warnings for africa!!

Doesn't sound right, does it?

Looking around the top of the page, theres this link Road Snowfall Warnings so I clickem, and uh oh, a page full of warnings!!!

I ran the search again, but I was unable to reproduce the error.

The moral of the story is - Don't trust websites for critical planning.

Steve

[p.dath]

I don't know how much the tax payer spends on the Met Service, but I suspect it would be in the tens of millions of dollars every year, and I don't feel we get any value for money.

They never seem to get the forecast right. Lets save some money and scale them back.
You just can't trust the forecast anymore.

[CookMySock]

You just can't trust the forecast anymore.

The entire forecast wasnt wrong - the website simply failed to render it, and insisted everything was honky dory, when it was far from so.

But WRT forecasts being right, they are just forecasts.

Steve

[xwhatsit]

They never seem to get the forecast right. Lets save some money and scale them back.
You just can't trust the forecast anymore.

Errrr...

Don't mean to come across as too condescending, but you know it's a weather forecast, right?





By the way DB, I just reproduced exactly the same error. Search for `desert road', click on the first link that popped up which said something about `Road Snowfall Warnings'. The page doesn't fully load and sits there spinning constantly, and all of the headings have `No Road Snowfall Warning'. However if I click on the link you listed, it goes to the exact same URL and loads a whole bunch of warnings. Something weird.

[MattRSK]

all i know is that it's bloody cold here!

[dasser]

This is how the forecast is made....

[p.dath]

Errrr...

Don't mean to come across as too condescending, but you know it's a weather forecast, right?

...

I don't mind spending some money on something usable, but I don't think it is worth the tens of millions for what we get. :-)

[marty]

The moral of the story is - Don't trust websites for critical planning.

Steve

WHAT?????? don't trust the internet? OH NO!!!!!

[marty]

Transit is a bit slow on the update:

Transit New Zealand

National Office

Media Release

23 June 2006


Road closures in Central North Island - 3.45pm update

As the AA Roadwatch website is experiencing some difficulties, we will be updating road closures and road conditions on this page. State highways not listed below are open but cold conditions are expected to cause icy conditions tonight and extreme care is required.

[Lurch]

I don't mind spending some money on something usable, but I don't think it is worth the tens of millions for what we get. :-)

Actually for the couple of cents you pay for the service on a yearly basis you get a system that has an excellent track record.

MetService record in the 12 months to June 2008. -

Events detected
Heavy rain 95%
Severe snow 87%
Severe gales 94%

False alarms
Heavy rain 27%
Heavy snow 29%
Severe gales 20%

[marty]

but dig 1 click deeper:

SH 1 Desert Road Caution Snow: Met Service Advise Snow Showers Affecting Higher Parts Of The Road Are Expected To Lower To 700 Metres From Late This Morning To Affect All Of The Road. Between 9am And 8pm Today 3 To 5cm Of Snow Is Likely To Accumulate On The Road. The Showers Should Clear Tonight. Nzta Advise Motorists To Take Extra Care. Na Jun 16 2009 8:00PM

[Zuki lover]

I wouldn't travel today anyway ........ the desert road would be covered in snow today - brrrrrr!!!!! its got cold

[CookMySock]

Don't mean to come across as too condescending, but you know it's a weather forecast, right?

Yer, an educated guess.

By the way DB, I just reproduced exactly the same error. Search for `desert road', click on the first link that popped up which said something about `Road Snowfall Warnings'. The page doesn't fully load and sits there spinning constantly, and all of the headings have `No Road Snowfall Warning'. However if I click on the link you listed, it goes to the exact same URL and loads a whole bunch of warnings. Something weird.

Yeah bro, thats it. Dangerous in my opinion. If some important piece of machinery has an intermittant fault they should shut the fucker down or put a warning sign on it, not leave it there to catch the unwary.

Steve