FAQ

Some lines in the table with forecasts are closed with the letters / phrase "Block [ads]". What does this mean?

Ad blocker detected! Advertising is the only source of income for rp5.co.za. Please disable the ad blocker (in your browser, operating system or local network) for our website. If you continue to use the ad blocker, we will be forced to block weather data for you.

How can I see the date in the forecast table?

To see the date on a desktop computer, hover the mouse cursor over the word "today", "tomorrow" or any day of the week. To see the date on the phone or tablet with a touch screen, press your finger on the same word ("today", "tomorrow" or the day of the week).

Why do the links “see on map”, “Units of measurement”, etc. work improperly and what is the reason for the data not getting uploaded to the table "Weather Archive"? How can this be fixed?

These problems create such browser extensions as "AdBlock", "ABP", and the like. To resolve this problem, you should disable these extensions for our website.

Why are different parts of pages and tables displaced? How can this be fixed?

This problem was observed when using unlicensed versions of ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
To resolve this problem, please do the following:
1) Please install the licensed version of ESET NOD32 Antivirus
or
upgrade ESET NOD8 to version 9 and add our website to the exclusions of ESET NOD8: add a line rp5.co.za* (without the HTTP protocol and slash, but with an asterisk at the end) in the list of addresses excluded from checking.
2) Clear the browsing history (cached images and files) and then go back to our website.

Where can I see information about the last update time of the forecast?

You can see information about the last update time of the forecast in the tooltip that appears when you hover the mouse cursor over the question mark at the end of the phrases "6 day weather forecast", "3 weather forecast" or "1 day weather forecast".

What scale is used for division of cloudiness into layers: low, middle and high? Where are the conventional boundaries of the layers? What is the altitude of the layers?

The morphological classification includes ten main cloud types, which are further divided into species and varieties. Depending on the altitude of cloud base, three layers of clouds are distinguished: high, middle and low. A separate group includes clouds with vertical development.
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud.

Why does the observational data available on the webpage "Weather archive" sometimes differ from the values observed by the user?

There are a few answers to the question:
- the time when the user makes his observations may differ from the time of observations at the weather station as all main weather stations make observations at a fixed time;
- the observation site chosen by the user may differ from the site and height of installation of meteorological instruments placed on specially designed instrument platforms. Measurement of air temperature is made in an instrument shelter at a height of 2 m above the ground;
- the values of meteorological parameters at the time and site of observation can be influenced by the local terrain features, as well as significant obstacles (big houses, groups of trees) around the site of observation at a distance closer than 100 meters.

Can you issue an official report on weather status?

Official reports on weather status are issued by:
1.1) Regional Directorates of Hydrometeorological Service in Russia: http://www.meteorf.ru/about/structure/local/;
1.2) Regional Hydrometeorological Centers in Ukraine: http://meteo.gov.ua/ua/33393/services/;
1.3) Branches of Kazhydromet in Kazakhstan: http://www.kazhydromet.kz/ru/branches;
1.4) Republican Center for Hydrometeorology in Belarus: http://hmc.by/structure/.

What is the definition of the terms "continuous rain" and "continuous snow"?

Continuous precipitation is the precipitation that falls over a large area for a long time (from a few hours to a day or more) as rain or snow with gradual changes in intensity and gradual starts and stops. The amount of precipitation is 0.1 mm and more.

What does the "feels like" temperature mean? Who perceives it?

The "feels like" temperature is the temperature that people feel. It is caused by the effect of wind or humidity.
To measure the "feels like" temperature, empirical formulas are used.
The formulas include the values of the air temperature and
1) wind speed, if the temperature is + 10 ° C and below,
2) relative humidity, if the air temperature is + 27 ° C and above.
The "feels like" temperature has been added by popular demand.

What is the definition of the term “shower” in the phrases like “rain shower” or “snow shower”?

Showery precipitation (both rain and snow) is characterized by the suddenness with which it starts and stops and the rapid changes of intensity. As a rule, it falls continuously from a few minutes to a few hours (1-2 days in the tropics). The amount of precipitation is 0.1 mm and more. It is often accompanied by thunderstorms and squalls.

What does the term "fresh breeze" mean?

The definition of the wind force is in conformity with the Beaufort scale (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale) which is widely used in international synoptic practice to determine rough estimates of the wind velocity.

As for precipitation, how to convert millimeters into liters?

In fact, there are people (our team is also included), who understand intensity of precipitation in liters better than in millimeters. The proportion is simple: 1 mm is equivalent to 1 liter per 1 square meter. That means, 12 mm is a large 12-letre pail, 10 mm is a 10- liter pail, 0.5 mm is a half-liter bottle, and 0.2 mm is a glass of water per 1 square meter. You may think that such explanation is not very sound but it is understandable.

How often are forecasts updated, and what time does it happen?

Forecasts for all 6 days are updated on the site twice a day: by 05:30 and 17:30 UTC. An additional forecast update for the next 3 days (66 hours) occurs between the above full updates: by 11:30 and 23:30 UTC.

How to get to the weather archive?

Please open the page with the weather forecast in the location you are interested in. Click the link “Weather archive at the weather station” which is on the right, above the table with weather forecasts and you will be redirected to the page with the archive of actual weather at the weather station nearest to the given location.

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For more information see Definitions