Timaru

As you probably know, WeatherWatch.co.nz receives no tax payer funding, so it's not quite so easy for us to expand - but we are getting there!

The forecasts you see on this page are just Phase 1 of a three phase process surrounding our National Forecasts.

So what is Phase 1?

Phase 1 was simply to get raw data up and running for 17 main centres in New Zealand. The forecasts are sourced directly from MetOcean Ltd - and no humans run their eyes over these predictions before you read them. You may be surprised to know that the majority of online weather forecasts for New Zealand are done this way, but clearly it lacks the detailed quality information we have in our current Auckland forecasts.

Phase 2 will be to add WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasters into the equation. We've been doing this in Auckland for years and have built up a strong reputation for accuracy. We aim to slowly do this across the country over the coming few years. Christchurch and Hamilton will be next - purely chosen for logistical reasons. Clearly Wellington, Dunedin and Tauranga will also be high priority - but the improvements to those forecasts will be made further down the track.

Phase 3 may still be another couple of years away, but we plan to have detailed forecasts, personalised by WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasters, for all main centres in New Zealand.

Why is my town not on the forecast list?
We're focusing on the main centres at the moment but fear not, we have forecasts for all towns in NZ - even the smallest ones! Click here to search for forecasts where you are via our partners at MetOcean Ltd.

These forecasts seem very basic - where's the detail WeatherWatch.co.nz is famous for?
Click here to read about why these forecasts are currently so basic - and our plans to improve them

How come there is no Percentage of Precipitation (POP) as we see in the Auckland forecasts.
This is a work in a progress and we hope to address this later in 2012.

How often are these forecasts updated?
They are updated every 6 hours

Who creates these forecasts?
This is raw data directly from MetOcean's forecasting computers. In the coming years we aim to greatly improve the details in these forecasts.

This forecast wasn't accurate at all - what can I do?
Because this is raw data, there will be times when the icon or the text forecasts perhaps aren't as accurate as it could be, especially on days when the weather isn't stormy or perfectly settled - what we call fair weather days. If you notice a trend developing (ie, the overnight low is always off the mark, or the wrong icon keeps displaying) please contact us here. Please note, most emails do not receive a reply but your information will be very helpful to us.

Why do you not do 10 day forecasts?
We used to - but in 2008 we ran a poll and our readers overwhelmingly preferred shorter more detailed forecasts than long range less accurate ones.

Do you use MetService data?
No - outside of warnings we source no information from MetService at all to create any of our forecasts.