How can I use weather forecast, radar, and satellite data to plan landscape photography?
Asked 4/27/2017
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I want to improve my landscape photography planning by understanding weather data better. I know general rules like partial cloud cover can be good and high clouds can help produce colorful sunrises or sunsets, but I’m not sure how to read forecast maps, radar, or satellite imagery.
What should I look for in forecast products beyond a simple cloud-percentage number? How do radar and satellite views help predict whether the sun will be covered and how clouds may develop or move?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
9y ago
2 Answers
4
If you mean weather forecasts like this one it can only provide general and not-so-reliable information. It is too vague. 30% cloud coverage means that 30 % of the sky is covered by clouds. What type of clouds (cirrus, cumulus, stratocumuls,...) no one knows.
On the other hand, there are detailed models like CHMI's Aladin with different maps. Here the B&W map shows overall cloud coverage (black is bright sky, white opaque clouds), yellow/green/purple maps shows the cloud coverage in different altitudes (again black is no clouds, bright colour is fully opaque clouds). There is also an (unofficial) Android app that processes the data called Aladin.
You can also use actual data from meteoradars (again CHMI's meteo data) in your area and guess how the weather would develop "to the future"... Again, there is an android app for that.
You can look at Windity to see whatever map you want for weather forecast... How accurate it actually is is disputable, but the 5 minute forecast can be reliable.
Originally by user39108. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user39108
9y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A simple weather-app forecast is only a rough guide. A value like “30% cloud cover” just means about 30% of the sky is covered; by itself it doesn’t tell you the cloud type or altitude, which matters a lot for photography.
More useful are detailed forecast models that separate cloud cover by height. In those maps, overall cloud cover shows how blocked the sky may be, while layer-specific maps help you judge whether you have low, middle, or high clouds. For landscape work, that is often more informative than one percentage.
Satellite and radar data are mainly useful for tracking current conditions and movement. They can help you estimate whether clouds or rain are moving toward or away from your location, and therefore whether the sun is likely to be obscured. Radar is especially useful for precipitation systems; satellite imagery helps with broader cloud patterns.
In practice: use a detailed model for forecasted cloud layers, then check current radar/satellite to see how conditions are actually evolving near shoot time. Treat all forecasts as approximate and use them to improve odds, not guarantee light.
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