Weather Websites or Apps

Same problem as in the US: different models, different forecasts. Switzerland is especially tough to forecast and subject to wild fluctuations. I like to pick one app, usually AccuWeather because I like how it works, and stick with it.

The Swiss say the Meteo.ch weather forecast is the best but it only goes out 6 days. There are also webcams you can look at that will show you now, search webcams Jungfrau. A trick I learned on converting C to F is double the number and add 30, gets you close. I am using both Weather Channel and Accuweather and try to just average them out. Then I also check Meteo. I’m a fanatic weather watcher even at home though. Just really hard to predict the mountains in Switzerland more than 2-3 days out.

For my Dec 2019 Swiss trip, there was 80-100% chance of rain everyday predicted. What we got was evening sprinkles a few days, and only one day of intermittent heavy daytime rain. When we went up to Mt. Rigi, it was very cloudy and we didn't expect to see much. However, the summit was above the clouds and tree line, and it was spectacular.

On an earlier trip I wasn't so lucky, and I haven't been to the top of the Jungfrau yet, because of poor weather. Hopefully better weather this time around.
Safe travels!

I like the Norwegian website (and app) - it's often accurate (but sometimes it's not 🌦 ☀ ☁)

https://www.yr.no/en

I often ask the reception staff at my first hotel in a country what weather website they prefer. Still, there are surprises. For excursions into the Alps, it's worthwhile to check webcams before heading out. Those train tickets are expensive!

I also use the Norwegian weather website https://www.yr.no/en for weather and the national meterological service https://www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/home.html?tab=overview

Anything past three days in the future is an educated guess.

I have learned that the weather forecasts for ANY country, state, city - are 50% at best.

Previous forecasts:
It said rain for 4 days in Paris - never rained, cloudy, but it never rained
Went to Dolomites in Mid May and was nervous about snow amounts, etc and road closures. The forecast said heavy snow the week we were going. - Never snowed. Roads were fine.

You get the point.

Use a webcam and see what it looks like today.

I always use the Met Office website of whichever country I am visiting.

Thanx for the suggestions. I found and loaded the MeteoSwiss app on my phone and it looks like it will be useful on tour. If I remember, I'll try to make a note of what the app says vs reality while we're there.

I knew about the web cams and the difference between how things look down in the valley vs up on the mountain. They will be useful and I imagine the tour director and/or the hotel will provide some info.

As this point, I'm just trying to figure out packing for a month and being able to adjust to extremes as needed.

One more vote for YR, good website and app. Both are very user friendly (and available in other languages if you don't speak Norwegian).

CJ, know your issues on packing. We leave Monday. I went round and round but did lots of layer clothes. Think you need to focus on the layer thing (many threads on this in the packing subsection). Rain jacket, good rain hat.

Cchapin,
So excited for you, pls keep us updated, especially the arrival process . Have a great trip. We are a week behind you.

CJ, I didn’t realize you were going for a whole month. Lucky!!!! Regarding the packing, do any of your hotels have dry clean or laundry service? I convinced my sister to pack light, but her condition is that we (by we, I mean the hotels 😊) are able to do laundry along the way. For us, it’s worth the extra money to have someone else clean some of our clothes. And we’ll only be gone 17 days.

Carrie, it's 2 weeks Switzerland and 2 weeks in France on two different Tauck tours. Most of the hotels probably have highly expensive laundry service. Thankfully between the two tours we have a few days on our own in a Zurich hotel that does have laundry machines we can use for a more reasonable price. I pack quite a few items that could be sink washed. I

Spent time today sorting and I think have found the right balance to handle possible weather extremes we may have plus dress nice enough for the hotels we're staying at.

Hi again CJ, I know you said you have your packing figured out, but I wanted to mention that Adventures with Sarah (former RS tour guide, if you’re not familiar with her) just posted a new video about packing for weather extremes for 4 weeks—she’s off to Italy and Iceland soon. I haven’t watched it yet, but she always has good packing tips.

https://www.facebook.com/adventureswithsarah/

P.S. I don’t have a Facebook account, but am still able to watch the video.

Whenever I plan a trip, I consult Accuweather for both historic and expected forecasts. You can do this months in advance. (You can't really get the weather but you can get an estimate of temperatures.) You can Google: Paris Temperature June and it will give you numerous websites that offer long range temperature forecasts. I stick to just one (Accuweather) so there is consistency.

I also take a look at Sunrise/Sunset data for the dates I plan to be in each location. http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/

I have a three month trip coming up from the middle of October into the beginning of January. I take five days worth of clothing. For winter trips, I take two sweaters instead of one. I find layering is the best way to stay warm rather than bringing a bunch of heavy clothes. For extremely cold locations in winter, I add gloves, a hat and a scarf. I might even pack a set of thermals.