Is Edinburgh's weather so peculiar that forecasters struggle to predict it? – Helen Martin

WE had a rather busy week with external house repairs including gutterings being removed, cleaned, checked, painted and re-installed, plus scaffolding set up for a cracked chimney stand to be stripped, repaired and new harling applied.

Three people enjoy a picnic on Calton Hill (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

All the workers were climbing up on high ladders, and dealing with paint, cement and harling, so it was essential that it was a dry atmosphere with no rain. Weather forecasts didn’t help with every single day predicted to be full of showers and drizzles.

But these guys running their own firms had to rely on their own method of assessing the weather. They woke up, looked up at the sky and made up their own minds.

So, the jobs were done on Friday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday did have light drizzles and the others were dry with bursts of sunshine.

I’d checked four Edinburgh forecasts including my phone app, the Met Office, television and Accuweather, all threatening rain.

It did turn out that some other parts of the Lothians were wet, but not Edinburgh South. That inaccuracy is tough for these professional companies, and not helpful for the rest of us planning a long walk, a picnic or a cycle.

None of that would bother me if meteorology science wasn’t claimed to be accurate nowadays. Is Edinburgh a peculiar exception?

Or is the “accuracy” not focused on our Capital? So, I did a little research and found at least one expert’s statement: “Meteorology is a true science. It means the study of the atmosphere, so it doesn't always mean weather”!

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