New BOM Website

[rgmwa]

BOM have just upgraded their website today, and not for the better IMO. Harder to navigate and read, radar maps are clunky and the whole thing is not very user friendly IMO.

However the old site is still available here, for now at least: https://reg.bom.gov.au/

[onetrack]

Yes, can't say I'm impressed with it. It's all about glitzy graphics instead of functional text. Aimed at the younger generation who like lots of moving graphics, I guess.

[facthunter]

Yeah I  don't like It. I have chucked a few comments in. The MET ATPL wasn't easy. I doubt anyone at BOM would pass it now. WE were ACCREDITED MET observers.  Nev

[onetrack]

The general opinion seems to be condemnation of the new site - but the Bureau head honcho puts his best "Yes Minister" face on, and tells everyone the site feedback is "overwhelmingly positive", and the users who can't abide the changes will soon see how brilliant the new site is, once they adapt to the massive site changes!! 🙄

 

https://www.perthnow.com.au/wa/weather/epic-fail-bureau-of-meteorology-website-update-sparks-fury-across-australia-c-20443509

[octave]

I am going to be the odd one out. I quite like it. This is the page I have set it to land on, and it appears to have everything I need to know on one page.   

 

https://www.bom.gov.au/location/australia/victoria/central/o2577556437-north-geelong#today

 

[Marty_d]

To be honest, I looked at it last night and didn't think it was bad.

At least they break down the forecast into hours rather than the annoying "Rain, mainly in the morning and afternoon" which was about as useful as tits on a bull.

[old man emu]

Just had a look using Octave's link and getting to my area. Where's the radar? I can't see the progress of rain events without the radar. Nor can I see the 4-day weather maps.

[octave]

5 minutes ago, old man emu said:

Just had a look using Octave's link and getting to my area. Where's the radar?

Isn't the radar at the bottom of the page if you scroll down? You can click on rain (to get radar) or wind or waves

[octave]

[onetrack]

The site is deficient in many, many ways. There's no way to adjust the speed of the map timing when you click on the arrow. Most other sites give you the ability to slow down the speed. The radar map doesn't display the radar returns on actually cloud formations or cold fronts, it only shows colours indicating potential rainfall levels. Then you have to select what level of rain potential you want to see.

It's clumsy, inefficient, and needs lots of clicking and scrolling to see in total, what just one page gave us previously.

[octave]

4 minutes ago, onetrack said:

The radar map doesn't display the radar returns on actually cloud formations or cold fronts, it only shows colours indicating potential rainfall levels. Then you have to select what level of rain potential you want to see.

My understanding is that the radar can only detect rain, not clouds.  I have the old and new radar maps up at the moment; they appear to be showing the same information.   The new radar does not appear to allow changing the speed; however, you can go frame by frame with the play-pause button.  I do like the way you can change the radar from rain rate to rain reflectivity to estimated rain in the next 60 minutes. I could be wrong but I don't think these are available on the old radar site.

 

I do like the fact that you can zoom out to see the whole country. With the old radar, if I was travelling to Adelaide, I would look at the radar here in Melbourne, and then I would have to select off the weather map the Adelaide radar. Now I can just zoom out and see the radar along my route or the whole country

 

I suspect that the biggest issue is finding our way around a site we have become used to.   It has only been out a short time, and some of the criticisms I have read in news articles are not correct as in you can't get a particular feature anymore when actually you can.    It is early days, and it does take time for people to adapt

 

 

[facthunter]

Radar can't appear on FORECASTS, You can try to predict MSL Isobars . The further ahead, the less reliable they will be. Nev

[octave]

11 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Radar can't appear on FORECASTS,

I think it gives you an estimation based on the current rain detected.  I am guessing it is saying that this rain shower moving from the west towards Geelong is expected to travel at this speed and take a particular path. He is a 60-minute rain prediction based on the current rainfall intensity and current track. This is a very short prediction. I have no idea how accurate its predictions are.

 

[octave]

1 hour ago, onetrack said:

needs lots of clicking and scrolling to see in total,

You can tailor what information is displayed for you. My page requires scrolling because I have selected  "show all"  You can cut it down to "temperature and rain" "wind", or "humidity,UV and cloud".   I have mine set to all.

[old man emu]

I just want to be able to view the radar image from the surrounding sites so that I can estimate what is likely to happen in the next few hours. Previously I have rarely looked at any other information in the old site because I usually only want present information. I will look at the 4 day forecast maps to gain an impression of future weather. 

[facthunter]

I keep looking and there's a fair bit of info that can be gained but I don't know what audience they are trying to focus on. As I've  said I like MSL isobars. Weather forecasts on the radio are an exercise in Minimalism  It's Usually some thing like Fine and a temp of 22.  wind direction is never mentioned. nor relief from a sea breeze. Sometimes you will get early Morning Isolated FOG mentioned.  Wind direction and air mass analysis are  important and Frontal location and Movement, Humidity and Local temp range. Instability is related to vertical temperature gradient of the atmosphere. Nev

[octave]

I like the fact that you can tailor your page to a bare minimum if you like the temp, wind and rain, or you can have things like hourly predicted cloud cover and mixing layer height if you want.    I have spent about 3 hours now playing around with it, and the more I use it, the more sense it makes.   There are some items not on it yet that are still available on the old site. These items will be added. My understanding is that there is nothing from the old site that isn't on the new site or will be added to the new site. 

[octave]

24 minutes ago, old man emu said:

I just want to be able to view the radar image from the surrounding sites so that I can estimate what is likely to happen in the next few hours. Previously I have rarely looked at any other information in the old site because I usually only want present information. I will look at the 4 day forecast maps to gain an impression of future weather. 

Aren't you looking at neighbouring radar sites on the new page? Except that you are zooming and dragging, you can still see what is happening next door. Zoom out to see the neighbouring area, zoom out more to see the region, zoom out more to see the state, zoom out more to see all of Australia. Drag the map across to look at anywhere in Australia.

[facthunter]

Best for Temps and rain I've not seen warm and cold fronts depicted.  Nev

[old man emu]

so how do I get the radar images I am used to seeing? How do I get to the radar images on the new site?

[old man emu]

 12:15 24/10

just had a play with it. Bloody hopeless lack of information compared to the old format. And the old page has been replaced with the new one.

[octave]

14 minutes ago, old man emu said:

so how do I get the radar images I am used to seeing? How do I get to the radar images on the new site?

Scroll to the bottom and you should see the radar map.   Click on the cross to zoom in. Drag the map around if you want to see elsewhere in Aus.  

https://www.bom.gov.au/location/australia/victoria/central/bvic_pt042-melbourne

 

 

Here is a link to the old radar site

 

https://reg.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/

 

Edited 16 hours ago by octave

[facthunter]

I started by putting in SE  AUSTRALIA. Victoria Produced nothing of Practical Use. Then use + and Drag/scroll anywhere Try TEMPS and then other options.   Nev

[octave]

19 minutes ago, old man emu said:

ust had a play with it. Bloody hopeless lack of information compared to the old format.

What information is missing? 

On my page I can see:

The current temp and a prediction of a possible shower

Hourly forecast

Chance of rain hourly

wind speed current and hourly 

wind gusts current and hourly

humidity, current and hourly

Dew point current and hourly 

UV index  current and hourly

Cloud cover current and hourly

Mixing height, current and hourly   

forest fire index                   

Edited 15 hours ago by octave

[old man emu]

6 minutes ago, octave said:

What information is missing? 

Wind and temperature at BOM weather stations. Can't say anything about rainfall as it's not present today.