Weather Intelligence

How accurate is the weather intelligence accuracy for temperature, precipitation, and wind especially during thunderstorms?

I would say it probably is as accurate at the data received from the weather station (e.g. sensor(s) placed in not a good place) and how it compares to what you experience (how localized the weather patterns are). Even though the weather stations are pretty close by (a few miles away), I have rarely seen ice in the morning when it probably should have done a freeze skip.

I live the the Phoenix area and have very localized monsoon thunderstorms from July-September. The weather data accuracy is probably very important for flex daily.

You are correct, the accuracy is very important for flex daily. I would probably check to see how close the stations are to you and if it is within the very localized area.

Is the WI Plus or choosing a local weather station in Phoenix more accurate?

No matter where you live, choosing a local weather station that appears to be recording precipitation accurately will work the best.

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I am surprised Rachio 3 seems to recommend the Weather Network instead of Weather Station.

The closest weather station to me is 0.12 miles away.

I was using the Weather Network but switched to the station closest to me on Wednesday. Should I keep using the station 0.12 miles away or switch back to Weather Network? Why or why not?

Why doesn’t the Rachio 3 have more Rain Skip settings? I wish there were more increments than 0.25" between 0.25" and 1". I would like additional increments such as 0.33" or 0.1" for example.

What would you use them for? Flex Daily doesn’t use Rain Skip, and it seems the values Rachio gives are normally sufficient.

I’m referring to the fixed and flex monthly schedules

What weather forecasting service does Rachio use? It is not very accurate for my area.

I want to use the National Weather Service forecast for my area directly. It’s way more accurate than whatever Rachio currently uses.

The current Rachio forecast doesn’t match what is observed. Rachio consistently overestimates the temperature and underestimates the precipitation compared to what the PWS observes.

Where are you getting Rachio’s temperatures to compare? I’ve never seen Rachio post a temperature. And of course you can choose a PWS that is close to, or in, your area.

@ECOBEARD, you know how accurate our weather forecasters are in the valley all year long, let alone during the monsoons. You already hit on the fact that the storms can be extremely localized, and ANY forecast is going to be fairly generalized for the valley. Forecasted weather is fine for scheduling, but Flex Daily will adjust based on actual (assuming a solid PWS selection) regardless of forecasted.

As for forecasted temps and such, mine pretty much always matches my Samsung phone, which looks like it pulls from weather.com.

Rachio gets it’s weather forecasts from Aeris.

What did the weather intelligence update change?

Can Rachio offer the ability to choose your weather forecaster? The local National Weather Service is far more accurate that the one Rachio currently uses.