Checking the weather
There are 3 ways of checking the weather. You can go outside and look up, but that only tells you what’s happening right now. I would like you to go to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology website (www.bom.gov.au) and look to two things, the forecast, and the actual data live streamed from beacons, wave buoys, and weather stations in the area.
This not only tells you what the trained professionals from BOM believe the forecast to be, but it gives you the real time data from what’s actually happening, all from the comfort of your computer or mobile device. There is however a catch, about 10 years ago, there was a weather event that was not predicted on a mountainous plateau called Toowoomba, and the resulting wall of water that rushed through communities on its way downhill killed 35 people and caused $2.38 Billion in damages. Ooopps. For years after this event, some forecasts from BOM were jaded, which is why it’s important to look at the forecast and the live data.
Every Friday morning, I post the weekend weather on the AustWR Facebook page, feel free to drop in and check it out.
Coastal Waters Forecast. http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/gold-coast-waters.shtml
Wave data. https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/coasts-waterways/beach/monitoring/waves-sites
Brisbane Observations data. http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/observations/brisbane.shtml?ref=hdr
Tide Times. http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/tides/
Apps.
Be careful of Apps, you don’t know who runs them, where their data comes from, if the programmer is on holiday and his cousin is filling in for the week? But seriously, when it comes to things that affect the outcome of your day and your safety, go the extra mile.