Local Weather



From our years as cranberry farmers and golf course superintendents, we have developed what could be classified as an unhealthy obsession with the weather. We've updated our favorite weather links, because there is really some great stuff out there now for those looking for a precise forcast.

If all else fails we have a very generous rain check policy.

But allow me to digress. In New England it is really difficult to forecast the weather. Our estimates of forecast accuracy:

Today, Tonight, and Tomorrow - Pretty Accurate
3-4 Days Out - Possibly an idea of what it might be like
5+ Days Out - Not very accurate at all

Please keep this in mind when a meteorologist says on Monday that it is going to rain on Sunday. Anything beyond a three day forecast should be illegal in New England, and the weather graphics are the worst. How can someone summarize 6 AM-6 PM over the area from Springfield, MA to Orleans with a picture of a rain cloud? If you have lived in New England for more than 5 minutes, you know that it could rain all day in Marshfield and be bright and sunny in Plymouth. Thank you for your time.

Interactive Radar Map
Our new favorite. Press play in the lower right hand corner to put the map in motion, and you can zoom right down to street level to see exactly what's going on by clicking on the plus-minus scale in the upper left corner of the map.

National Weather Service Radar
Great when trying to find out if it will rain in the next six hours or so. Southers Marsh Golf Club is located just above and to the right of the "e" in Providence.

National Weather Service Northeast Radar
Good to look at when you are trying to get an idea if it is going to rain later on in the day or tomorrow.

Accuweather.com Local forecast
Gives a nice overview of today's forecast. A great feature - the chance of rain graph broken down over the course of the day. Also provides a link to the hourly forecast. (We used to be really high on the hourly forecast, but it really isn't updated often enough. If you want to know if it is going to rain in the next hour or two, the Interactive Radar Map is where to go.)

Channel 5 Detailed Forecast for Eastern Plymouth County
This is great because it is updated every shift at channel 5 (every 6 hours or so) and gives great detail for what is happening around Southers Marsh, rather than an overview of the whole region.

National Weather Service Forecast
If you are really looking for great stuff, click on Forecast Discussion and see what they are saying behind the scenes.

National Weather Service Graphical Forecast
This is new to us in 2008. If you go to "Forecast Element" and select Probability of Precip, and hit play and you can get a look at what the radar will look like going forward. Pretty good stuff!

A few more helpful links (by looking at all 3 forecasts, you can get a consensus):
Channel 4 Weather
Channel 5 Weather
Channel 7 Weather

Taking It to the Next Level

I don't recommend this for just anyone, but for those of you who have a wedding or a big tournament coming up, or are trying to get declared legally insane, here we go:

The best way to know if it going to rain is to watch the weather on TV. Listen to what they say, the graphics are useless (I don't know how many times I've heard a weatherman (yes, I have someone specific in mind) say, "Slight chance of an afternoon shower in western Mass," and then show a graphic on the 5 day forecast that makes me want to build an ark and start loading up animals).

The best forecasts are on at 5:14 AM, 5:44 AM, 6:14 AM, 6:44 AM, 12:14 PM, 6:14 PM, and 11:14 PM. If you start on channel 4, watch the first 75% of the forecast, switch to channel 5, and then to channel 7, you can see what three Boston stations are predicting. Coupled with checking the National Weather Service Radar every 15 minutes all day, this will give you a pretty good idea of what is going to happen in the next 24 hours and possibly alienate all your friends and loved ones. I only do this every day from March 1 through December 23rd. Good luck!