Winter gritting

This enables organisations to make the best safety decisions when temperatures drop and confidently identify the best time to visit customers’ premises. 

OpenSite™ road surface forecasts 

OpenSite™ is our road surface forecast, designed specifically for the gritting and winter maintenance industry. 

We offer two main types of road surface forecast: 

Site-specific forecasts 

A high-resolution forecast for a specific site to maintain. 

Regional forecast zones 

Ideal when managing multiple sites covering several postcodes or if planning to expand. We can provide regional forecasts scientifically allocated to postcode districts based on climatology. 

Why choose OpenSite™?

Key benefits	Additional benefits
Accurate and reliable forecasts from a recognised and respected authority instils customer confidence.	24/7, 365 expert meteorologist support and guidance to aid operational planning and decision making.
Consistent, colour-coded forecasts delivered at a set time each day to aid timely decision making.	Build confidence by giving customers and onsite teams advance warning of upcoming conditions with site-specific outlooks for nights 2-5.
In a format to suit you - downloadable PDFs to take with you when away from the desk.	Make better informed decisions with our certified training course.
Build relationships with customers and onsite teams by keeping up to date with the latest developments in the weather.	Plan for the season ahead.  Inform your budget, resource, and staffing plans with historical OpenSite™ data.
Demonstrate you use our premium data with our OpenSite™ branding materials.	Online user group, providing regular updates.

OpenSite™ features

Product features	Optional features
Colour coded 24-hour forecasts with hourly and three-hourly segments of road surface temperature, air temperature, road state and likely amount of rainfall and snowfall.	Talk direct to a forecaster to aid with operational planning and support decision making. Available 24/7, 365 days a year. Our expert meteorologists can provide extra help and guidance in times of adverse weather (e.g. snow showers).
Available in .pdf or .csv format.	Site specific outlooks for nights 2-5. Covers a range of parameters and has text summaries.
Snow maps show how much snow is likely to settle within the next 24 hours.	Certified training. Train your team ahead of the season to make better informed decisions. These 1-2 hour courses save progress throughout so you don’t need to complete in one go. Certification is provided on completion.
Online user group, providing regular updates.

Did you know? 

Gritters use a Road Surface Temperature (RST) forecast to decide when to grit, rather than an air temperature forecast. RST forecast is a prediction of the temperature of the road surface. The temperature you see on our website and app is the air temperature forecast taken 1.5 metres above the ground, hence why you may notice a difference between these forecasts and the OpenSite™ forecast.

 Download a pdf version of this infographic.
 

Weather basics training for winter services 

We also offer online training courses for winter services and gritting operators.

Why choose the Met Office? 

Experts by nature 

• We have been the trusted provider to the road sector for over 25 years. Our industry experts and dedicated meteorologists work with gritting contractors and winter maintenance specialists of all sizes to provide accurate road and site-specific forecasts. 

Reliable 

• With our expertise and accurate forecasts, you can stay safe and thrive. We understand decisions are time critical; you can rely on us to deliver forecasts on time, in a clear and consistent format that aids decision making. 

Customer-focused 

• From national and regional zones to 9000+ postcodes, we have a service that works for you.  

• We collect feedback after each season and make adjustments to the service offer. 

• We will provide support throughout the winter season. Talk to a forecaster service to support operations; outlooks for nights 2-5 to support planning; and resources to help you communicate with customers/on-site teams when responding to queries. 

Keep updated 

Keep up-to-date with OpenSite™ and our other products to support businesses and industry by following our Business and Indistry LinkedIn page.

Contact us 

For more information and to discuss your winter gritting requirements, contact us at [email protected]