So many weather posts
 

Will some of you people get it in your heads at last that there is no guaranteed weather anywhere in Europe for any season?

You can find "average weather" for any given place all over the internet. That's the best you can do; believe me!

Stop asking about the weather for various months in Paris, Prague or Rome. It is useless. It is boring. It is annoying.

AGREE!

If you want to research historical weather patterns for a city, here are two sites:
http://www.weatherbase.com
http://www.weatherunderground.com

I think these questions may be useful, because getting a general impression of the probabilities may cause the person to give up or select a destination.

But I had snow and hail in Amsterdam and Paris and Antwerp in late March 2008, which no one would have predicted I'm sure.

d'accord!

Average weather is also found in most guide books. I'm wondering if anyone still bothers to read guide books before they travel or are we becoming solely dependent on the internet.

You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

And it is in the blowing wind that you will find the answer!

Touche, eskrunchy!

And there are, of course, "four strong winds that blow lonely ..."

Anselm

So ignore those posts. Simple, really.

All those things that don't change come what may...

This same kind of question comes up often on the US board about weather on Cape Cod. I agree with all of you about there being many sources of info for average weather and temps and I would access such info for myself.

However, sometimes there is a lot to be said for getting the input of a local who has experienced the range of what weather is typical in a certain place as opposed to the "academic" information of the range of what the averages are statistically speaking.

Just like we all consult guide books and reviews, sometimes we like to hear from another person. That is not the same, to me anyway, as the tiresome question about of "what will the weather be next week when I am there?"

socialworker wrote: "However, sometimes there is a lot to be said for getting the input of a local who has experienced the range of what weather is typical in a certain place as opposed to the "academic" information of the range of what the averages are statistically speaking."

I don't see that at all.

Further, where these weather enquiries elicit responses, they are of the nature of "I was in Xxx in March four years ago, and it didn't rain on either of the two days I was there". Sobloodywhat? Give me the statistics in preference to single data points.

Padraig, I either was not clear or you misread my post. A local is just that----someone who lives there, not someone who visited once. I have lived in MA for >30 years and can provide info to people who are wondering about what is, or can be, typical in Boston or on Cape Cod as opposed to that which is the statistical norm.

As I said, asking about next week's forecast is just an exercise in travel anxiety and not at all relevant to what I am saying.

Isn't the "statistical norm" just another way of saying "typical?" If there even is such a thing?

I actually sometimes answer these posts - usually muttering to myself as I do: "Whaddya think, I'm God or something?" And when I do I usually read what I wrote and think how in hell is that ever going to be of any help to anyone? I'm usually answering about places I've been to over and over, and my posts are usually along the lines of "well, one year we had snow and one year we were in shirtsleeves, and we've seen everything in between." Useless, IMO.

It doesn't make any difference if you're answering from the perspective of long-time experience (which is exactly what the statistical norms evaluate) or whether you've been once. No one can offer any advice that's meaningful in any way on that topic!

I've heard that the weather in Alberta is good in the fall.

socialworker, I didn't misread your post.

First, I probably know less about weather where I live than does the Irish Metrological Office, so my subjective impression is worth less than the data.

Second, my other comment was on the type of response that typically arises here -- the views of somebody who has paid a brief visit.

Maybe a more concrete example is called for here....
I often advise people who ask about going to Cape Cod in June, that while the weather can be lovely, they must also consider that 55 degrees and wind driven rain is also well within the range of what *can* happen. I believe that this personal experience of the weather here is not necessarily detailed in the guide books or on the weather.com tables but that it is very useful to know when planning one's dates of travel. Forewarned is forearmed.....:)

Sounds like our good times are all gone.

I have to agree with socialworker. Everyone knows that San Francisco weather is, at best, unpredictable. And it's probably easy to glean from weather underground or intellicast that it rarely rains between May and October. But knowing that the average daily high in February is, say, 58, doesn't tell you that we often have a week or so of glorious weather in February.

I do agree, however, that "I was cold the one day I was in Phoenix in March in 1966" is hardly useful information :)