[AZ-Observing] Re: How to interpret the Clear Sky Clock
- From: Tom Polakis <tpolakis@xxxxxxx>
- To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:22:52 -0500
---- Stan Gorodenski <stanlep@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> The national weather service forecast for the Dewey area says 'Mostly
> Clear'. This is encouraging, but when I go to the Clear Sky Clock and
> click on 18 hours it shows the front of the weather system right over
> Dewey and it increases that way all the way to midnight and after. What
> is the disconnect between the two forecasts?
There's no disconnect. The NWS forecast reads "partly cloudy," which is what
it will be for the average Joe in 18 hours. Most folks just want to know if
it's going to rain or not; they don't care if there is cirrus covering 20% or
80% of the sky.
The Clear Sky Chart is more appropriate for astronomers. That forecast map for
total cloud shows a mixture of light blue and white. It's likely that you will
catch glimpses of the moon, Jupiter, and bright stars in with that thick
cirrus. So "partly cloudy" sounds about right.
For what it's worth, CSC uses a forecast model from Environment Canada, while
NWS is obviously a U.S. service.
Tom
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