“Fantasy league” forecasting game with the University of Reading’s Meteorology Department. Photograph: University of Reading Meteorology Department
Do you fancy your chances at forecasting the weather? Could you beat the professionals at their own job, putting the likes of Tomasz Schafernaker and Helen Willetts to shame? Well now you have a chance to prove your weather forecasting prowess. The University of Reading’s Meteorology Department has opened up its “fantasy league” weather forecasting game to the public for the first time.
Every Friday players submit how much rain, wind and sunshine there will be in four different locations around the world, one of which changes from week to week. Forecasts can draw on sources like the Met Office and BBC Weather, but the top scoring players usually rely on their own intuition too. Points are awarded depending on how accurate the predictions are, and going counter to the expert forecasts when the weather is changeable can be a good strategy.
Of the 276 players currently in the game, only one managed to predict exactly how much rain would fall in Reading over the weekend. The average prediction in every category was too high, suggesting that most of us overestimate how wet or how warm and sunny the weather will be. The Weather Game will continue to run for another 4 weeks, and new wannabe forecasters are welcome to join.
