It looks like there were no problems with the 12.8.6 beta, so I’m releasing that same package as the official 12.8.6 - with one small exception: the help file is updated now, so you should be able to read the help about the forest/snow cover thing now.
Go to www.wxsim.com and then to the Downloads page. be sure if you’re a registered user to use the upgrade installer, NOT the demo.
Let me know how it goes! 
Tom
Oh I forgot to report that there is one little bug. When I press the blue text “Forest effect for snow cover”, it crashes my wxsim.
Hi Snowi,
That should be fixed with this official update. In the beta version posted a week or so ago, I simply forgot to include the updated help file. I believe I’ve got it included properly in this release, so go ahead and upgrade from the Downloads page on my web site, and that help should work. That’s the only change between the beta and the official release.
Tom
It seems to be working now 
Updated and working well
Updated.
I’m still getting
Stored water surface temperature is different from climatological default value by more than 5.4 Fahrenheit (3 Celsius) degrees. Please visit Diurnal Breeze form using the ‘Yes’ button at lower right.
Is there something else I should be doing?
Where does WxSim get its water temps from?
Could this be related to an apparent worsening of temp forecasts?
Traditionally WxSim temp forecasts have been so good I’ve never been tempted to tweak them[1], but recently (possibly since moving from 12.6.11 to 12.8.5 (and now 12.8.6)) temperatures have not been so good.
For example, of recent days WxSim has regularly been forecasting 12C as tomorrow’s daytime. I’d love to see that, but it would be quite warm for this time of year, and hasn’t been happening (the daily max has only broken 10C on one day this month so far).
Looking around I’ve noticed that Budgie’s forecast (Stornoway, so not very far away) seems to see similar forecast temperatures, and roughly similar actuals (when I just checked he’s yet to see 10C yet this month).
[1] The only time I tried using the WRET tool to get a correction factor the data was so scattered that the ‘best fit’ line was very odd and the factor suggested would have worsened things (but that was before your latest improvements in that routine).
David,
Hmmm… WXSIM’s default water temperature for March 21 for Elgol (is that the right location?), Isle of Skye, is 5.6 degrees C. It should be wanting that value, not 12.8! Is the date correct? Try changing the date and observe the normal water temperature (N.W.T.) at the upper right part of the form. That 6.6 difference in surrounding water temperature is almost certainly adding a few degrees to your highs.
Again, check the date, and the date format (under Preferences). For that matter, make sure it still remembers your location!
Tom
I’m surprised about that Tom,…The Gulf Stream has a pretty strong effect around the UK…see the temps here
So far as I recall it’s been the figure 12.8 in the ‘Diurnal Breeze’ window ever since this started cropping up! It did seem a bit on the warm side!
Is the date correct? Try changing the date and observe the normal water temperature (N.W.T.) at the upper right part of the form.Yes the date was correct, however when I changed the date to a incorrect figure (I changed month to January) the NWT figure changed to 5, then on bringing the date back to 'today' NWT changed to 6 (presumably the 5.6C you mention above, rounded to an integer?).
That 6.6 difference in surrounding water temperature is almost certainly adding a few degrees to your highs.I imagine so! :lol:
I wish I’d asked earlier!
Again, check the date, and the date format (under Preferences). For that matter, make sure it still remembers your location!Date, date format and location all fine.
I’ll be interested to see how big a difference there is in the next forecast run.
Strange things computers, at times…
Thanks for your thoughts.
If I close WxSim (i.e. File => Exit), then restart I get the warning again. When the main window opens NWT shows as 6, but when (as advised by the warning) I open the Diurnal Breeze window I see 12.8C as the “surface water temperature”. If I click on OK, that 12.8 appears on the main screen as NWT. If I then change the date back & forth, NWT goes back to 6.
Ought I to be editing the figure in the Diurnal Breeze window before clicking OK?
David,
Try turning Diurnal Breeze off (click ‘No’ so it’s no red anymore) and then back on again (‘Yes’ to make it red again). It think that will clear your old value out. Put a realistic one in there (or just leave the default, if its reasonable) and then re-check and edit it every week or so this time of year (in late summer it will remain pretty steady for a month or two).
Let me know how that goes.
Tom
Steffen,
I believe every time I’ve heard of this error it turned ou to be a bad line of data in the WD log file. It can be hard to find. You have to scroll down and see if something jumps out at you. Some other users have had exactly this experience.
If you can’t find it, post your March log file (32011lg.txt) and either I or someone else may be able to help you find it.
Tom
I found the problem, 1 line in the file was corrupted
Thanks, Tom
Hi Tom,
New version in and running fine. I have set the Forest effect for snow cover to 80. Do you think this is correct for Northern New Hampshire. I have just about all evergreens around me.
John
Done that. The message box no longer appears when WxSim is opened.
I’ve always been wary of making changes in that window because I know that at least some of the values (“Distance from” and “Direction to” the “nearest major body of water”) are deliberately not what I might expect because of our location on a peninsular, on a very irregularly shaped island, just off a deeply indented coastline.
Okay. Thanks for you help.
Hi Tom
I get these errors several times a day.
Se attached.
