QUICK ANSWERS
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You can change to Fahrenheit or to Celsius on the desktop site either by clicking directly on the temperature next to the weather icon on the forecast page, or by clicking on the °C or °F at the very top of the page, in the grey bar.
On the mobile website please find these settings by clicking on the "hamburger menu" icon, and scrolling to the bottom of the menu.
Rain Start Stop will tell you when precipitation is expected to start and stop in the next 3 hours with a precision of 15 minutes. It will also provide the type of precipitation (rain, sleet or snow) that is expected as well as how heavy it will be.
Unlike our forecasts that are being determined by multiple computer weather models, the data for Rain Start Stop is powered by a tool called Future Radar. Future Radar visualizes where rain is expected to occur by using a simple algorithm (to determine future precipitation movement) based on its movement in the past. Rain Start Stop then extracts this information for a particular location and presents it in a table/graph format. This information is updated every 15 minutes.
Rain Start Stop will help you plan your outdoor activities and will prove to be most useful in the immediate future. It updates every 15 minutes and uses real time observed radar data to make the most up-to-date forecast. It brings much more granular information than our regular forecasts providing 15 minute increments. It will prove to be most valuable on the days with on-and-off precipitation because it uses radar as its source and will have a better estimate on when to expect that quick passing shower in your exact location.
Rain Start Stop is fully derived from a Radar with automated processing. While there are a lot of benefits in this type of approach for precipitation forecasts, there are certain limitations as well. While computer models use physics in order to predict the growth and dissipation of storms, Rain Start Stop will not know if a storm is expected to grow/dissipate or change in direction. This might affect the accuracy of the product during thunderstorms, squalls and precipitation in mountainous areas.
Because it interprets any radar echo as real precipitation, there is a chance that some erroneous precipitation echoes will be interpreted as rain, while very light precipitation (like drizzle or snow flurries in the winter) won’t be detected by the radar at all. Finally, this product will only work in the areas where radar data is available. Areas close to the edge of the radars might not get the most accurate information.
Here is a map showing the location of the radars in UK:
Our hourly forecasts and Rain Start Stop have two different sources (for its forecasts). Hourly forecasts are derived from multiple computer weather models. These forecasts are updated twice per day. Rain Start Stop, on the other hand, is derived from a radar image with some automated processing and is updated every 15 minutes; hence, some differences are possible between the two products.
The radar map is the best corresponding map to go along with start/stop product.
Any location that is covered by a radar network. Please refer to radar locations map provided in question 3. This information is available to a 1km precision, so if you are located in a bigger city, you would receive more accurate forecast details if you select your postal code, as sometimes weather can change drastically over very short distances.