I tested mylid.app at 5 a.m.

A forecast, checked against the morning. The latest report is a lid at Bowling. Lid said 94%, and the valley was full of cloud.

Monday 19 October, 05:00. My day began with the usual alarm call. I opened Lid to check for a temperature inversion at Old Kilpatrick, and it said 94%: very likely. At 80 m up, the air was forecast to be 3.6° warmer than at the ground. This is exactly why I made Lid.

So what better way to test my own app than to jump out of bed, pull on my trail shoes and head up the Humphrey?

Lid forecast at 05:00 on Monday showing 94 percent, very likely, with a lid right at the ground
The forecast at 05:00: 94%, very likely.

At the car park the mist was thick, damp and cold. I did a quick warm up and set off, my head torch scattering off the moisture in the air.

A road disappearing into thick mist at dawn
Thick, damp mist at the start.

Just past the first cattle grid, the mist started to clear.

A bare tree in silhouette against thinning mist

I carried on past the house and through the trees, and the view to my left was a beautiful cloud inversion. At the viewpoint I stopped to take it in and take a few photos. What a treat! Above me the sky was clear, with Orion in full view over the city and the Plough above my head.

A cloud-filled valley with town lights glowing through the cloud under a clear dark sky
Orion above a cloud-filled valley
Panorama of the cloud-filled valley at dawn, from the sunset glow on the left to the starry sky on the right
Four photos stitched into one view across the valley.

I went on up to the top, round the wee dog leg on the far side and started back. The sun was starting to make itself known, but I had no time to hang about, as work o’clock was getting near.

It was a perfect test for my app, and the forecast got it exactly right. I don’t normally go up the hill on a Monday, but I’m glad I did. It was a great run in just the most perfect conditions, and I would have missed it if I hadn’t made Lid.

Lid chart of temperature with height, 1.9 degrees at the ground and 5.5 degrees at 80 metres
The numbers behind it: 1.9° at the ground, 5.5° at 80 m.
Lid hour by hour chart showing a high chance of a lid through the morning of Monday 19
Hour by hour, high through the morning.

One morning isn’t proof, and Lid is a forecast, not a guarantee. But I’m very happy with it.

Try the apps

They’re free, web-based, and you don’t need to sign in or make an account. There’s a guide at the bottom of each one that explains how to use it.

  1. Lid: a temperature inversion forecast, with a place chooser and the closest high point to get above any inversion.
  2. Transparency: how clear the sky will be, through cloud, moisture, haze and dust.
  3. Sky Contours: where the moon will be, and where the brightest and darkest parts of the sky will be in relation to it. Add star data and it plots planets, constellations and galaxies on an animated chart, with a few other cool things as well.
  4. Frost: a simple but effective app that tells you if the ground will be cold enough for frost, or if dew will form on the grass and cobwebs.

All four have a similar layout, and all let you save places. The best part: search a place and time in one, use the link in the app to open another, and it opens at the same place and time. Add them to your home screen and they behave like an app.

Please use them, test them, and tell me what you think. Any feedback would be wonderful.

Three apps for one night out, and Frost to tell you what the morning will be like.

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