Holiday Weather Forecast
These days there's no need to end up overseas with a suitcase full of unsuitable clothing as it's really easy to check the weather forecast for pretty much anywhere in the world before you pack your bags. Checking the weather forecast is even more important if you're planning an outdoor activity such as skiing, sailing or cycling. Log on to the following online weather resources to find out whether it's raining in Italy, sunny in Majorca or snowing in Andorra.
Weather.msn.com
Whether you want a weather forecast for Spain, a weather forecast for Italy or anywhere else in the world, this is one of the easiest sites to use. It provides a comprehensive 10-day weather forecast; it will tell you whether it's going to be sunny, raining, breezy or cloudy; and you can also check the likelihood of any precipitation. For those who are about to set off and want to know exactly what the weather will be like when they arrive, there's a useful three-hourly forecast for the next three days. You can also view weather maps of the world.
Metoffice.gov.uk
Anyone worried about sunburn should visit the UK meteorological office website which gives the UV index for major European destinations. This will tell you how strong the cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation from the sun will be for up to 5 days in advance. An index of 1 or 2 is low and you can safely stay outside, 3 to 5 is moderate and you should cover up, use sunscreen and stay in the shade at midday, and when the index is 8 or above you should avoid being outside at midday and at least cover up at all other times. Unfortunately, UV forecasts are only given for major cities and not holidays resorts.
The website weather.msn.com also includes UV ratings in its 10-day weather forecasts for destinations worldwide, but these are less detailed.
Windguru.com
Sailors and surfers can log on to this site to get wind forecasts and check out weather conditions a full 7 days in advance all around the globe. The free version of the website gives you wind speed and direction, temperature, cloud cover and rain forecasts. It will also tell you the size and direction of waves and wave period plus times for high and low tide, which are particularly useful to surfers. Upgrade to windguru pro and you can get more detailed information.
Snow-forecast.com
One of the great things about booking a ski holiday at the last minute is that you can go wherever there's snow, but it's also important to check the week's weather forecast because it's no good having thigh deep powder if it's going to be blown away by a strong wind, or heavy snowfall is going to affect visibility. Snow-forecast.com is an excellent website that tells you which resorts have the best snow and provides 9-day weather forecasts — though you have to subscribe to access some of the more detailed information. There are also webcams for most resorts, so you can see exactly what conditions are like before you go.
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