AMOS National Centre

Weather Tipping Competition - 2008
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This is a special AMOS event where you can test your weather forecasting skills for different locations around Australia. The competition will follow the familiar format of a regular AFL football tipping competition but instead of winners, we're looking for your predictions of minimum temperature, maximum temperature and rainfall. Prizes will be awarded to the players with the lowest overall errors for each category at the end of the home and away season. In addition, the top eight players at the beginning of the finals period will enter the playoffs for the premiership! See the result for 2007...

Please ensure you check the fixture for the location you're forecasting for this week

  Grand Final result is in: Kevin Walsh 2008 premiership winner!  


Rules 1.   Forecasts are required for minimum temperature, maximum temperature and rainfall.

Maximum Temperature Measured from 9am of forecast day to 9am following day
Minimum Temperature Measured between 9am previous day and 9am forecast day
Rainfall Measured between 9am forecast day and 9am following day

2.   Forecasts are to be made for Saturday and Sunday.
3.   No forecasts will be permitted after 8pm AEST Friday (7:30pm ACST, 6pm AWST)
4.   Temperatures selected from the nearest whole degree Celsius and rainfall is selected from certain ranges.
5.   You may use any source of information to come up with your forecasts.
6.   Forecasting locations will change for each week - be sure to check the fixture list to see which city you're forecasting for!
7.   Overall results are given as the magnitude of the error for all forecast fields.
8.   Errors for rainfall will be +1 for each rain category away from observed (eg: If 'No rain' forecast (category 1), but 1.5mm observed (category 4), then error will be 3)
9.   Anyone missing the cutoff time for submitting forecasts will be given a climatology forecast for temperature and a forecast for no rainfall.
10.   You can sign up to play at any time - even during the season, but you will start with the current climatology score.
11.   Results will be measured against Bureau of Meteorology observational data reported by the daily weather observations** website.
(**nb:  rainfall reported at this site is the amount reported at 9am of that day, therefore by the definitions of rainfall for this competition (listed above), Saturday 24 hr. rainfall will be that reported at 9am Sunday etc...). Temperatures halfway between two values such as 13.5 are rounded to the nearest odd value - in this case it would be 13.

Prizes Prizes will be awarded at the end of the home and away season for:

a)   Best overall maximum forecast score
b)   Best overall minimum forecast score
c)   Best overall rainfall forecast score
d)   Premiership winner

Sign me up!
To sign up for the competition, just send an email  request with 'Weather tipping' in the subject line (registrations now open!). In the message, please include:

(a)   Your first name
(b)   Your last name
(c)   Your preferred email address

You will then be told the password for the 'Make a forecast'  page, and your name added to the drop down list of competitors (allow a few days for processing...)

Ready to go? Remember to check this week's forecasting location in the fixture list and then go ahead and submit your forecast. Good Luck!

 Made a mistake?  Don't worry - you can make as many forecasts as you like before the cutoff time of 8pm (AEST) Fridays.  Only your last forecast is recorded.

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