Winter gritting

Road surface temperatures can be different to air temperatures, so we provide site specific, road surface forecasts to enable you to confidently identify the best time to visit your customer's premises.

Our 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:

1. Site specific forecasts

   A high-resolution forecast for a specific site that you maintain.

2. Regional forecast zones

   Ideal if you manage multiple sites covering several postcodes, or are 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 instills customer confidence.	24/7, 365 expert meteorologist support and guidance to aid operational planning and decision making.
Free up valuable time to focus on other tasks. Consistent, colour coded forecasts delivered at a set time each day aid timely decision making.	Build confidence by giving your 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.

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.	Historical OpenSite™ data to plan for the season ahead.
OpenSite™ branding to use in marketing materials.

Weather Basics training for winter services and gritting operators

Would you like to learn about basic meteorology principles to better inform your operational decisions around winter services? Train your team ahead of the season to make better informed decisions. These 1-2 hour courses save progress throughout so you do not need to complete in one go. Certification is provided on completion.

Weather Basics course

Learn about basic meteorology principles to better inform your operational decisions around winter services in our Winter Basics course. 

Using OpenSite™ Forecasts

Learn about the OpenSite™ Forecast service to maximise operations and knowledge around site-specific gritting.

Why choose the Met Office?

1. Experts by nature

• We have been the trusted provider to the road sector for over 20 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.

2. 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.

3. Customer focused

• From national and regional zones to 9000+ postcodes, we have a service that works for you. 
• We collect your feedback after each season and make adjustments to the service offer.
• We will support you 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.

Additional resources

Would you like to know more about how snow is forecast or how gritters know when it's time to grit? Visit our new OpenSite™ resources webpage to find videos, infographics and more to support you and and your customers' understanding of OpenSite™ forecasts. 

Keep updated

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