This section is intended to guide website visitors to various weather data on the Web.  Most of the links will lead to sites outside the UWM domain.  For those who aren't very experienced with weather, explanations of the different maps and data are provided.

Most of the listed sites allow public, no-cost access.  However, a few sites require membership, like Weathertap.com.  The Atmo Club has access to some of these sites, so club members should contact a club officer for appropriate usernames and passwords.

We will continue to update this site as necessary.  If you don't find what you need here, try web-lists provided by Professor Roebber or Professor Kahl.  The Internet also provides plenty of other data sources, so try searching with Google, Yahoo!, or your favorite search engine.

NOTE: Many images are very large, and will take some time to download on dialup connections.  Please be patient!

NOAA's National Weather Service

NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) has offices spread throughout the country.  These offices provide forecasts to their local areas, and they also issue storm warnings and advisories.  Official storm reports and information are provided by the NWS as well.  The Weather Service also operates the radiosonde (weather balloon) launch network.

• Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI Forecast Office

• Green Bay, WI Forecast Office

• National Weather Service Homepage

Storm Prediction Center (SPC)

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK issues Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Watches for the entire United States.  In addition, they provide forecasts for possible severe weather, as well as locations where significant wildfires could occur.  SPC mesoscale models are updated every hour to predict where severe weather is likely to develop or intensify.

• SPC homepage

• National convective outlooks

• National severe storm reports

• Mesoscale analyses

Satellite Images

Weather satellites can detect clouds by scanning for radiation in the Earth's atmosphere.  These images are very useful for tracking cyclones, hurricanes, and localized features.  Images are available from different radiation channels, allowing forecasters to detect different details.  Also, different satellites scan different areas.  A 1km image generally scans a single state.

• Colorado State / RAMSDIS loops

• UW-Madison Visible: National, Wisconsin

• UW-Madison Infrared: National

• College of DuPage: Regional, 1km images

Radar

Radar beams can detect the size of precipitation, thus measuring the strength of a storm.  Doppler radars also have the capability to detect motion, winds and rotation within a thunderstorm system.  This allows forecasters to issue tornado warnings, even when one hasn't actually formed yet.  Radar images can be combined from several individual sites to form a regional or statewide "mosaic".  These images are usually used for national or regional forecasting.

• Weathertap (account access required)

• College of DuPage: Regional, 1km images, local sites

• National Weather Service Experimental Radar: Milwaukee

Soundings

These graphs are obtained from National Weather Service weather balloon launches at 0Z (6pm CST or 7pm CDT) and 12Z (6am CST or 7am CDT).  Forecasters use these plots to detect winds and other important fields at upper-levels of the atmosphere.  A majority of analysis maps and models begin with sounding data taken across the United States.  Soundings are also extremely critical in severe weather forecasting.

• UCAR soundings (click on a 3-letter site on the map)

• Ohio State

• Model forecast soundings

Analysis Maps & Models

Created by deriving from sounding data and surface observations, these maps analyze different sections of the atmosphere.  Some maps, such as those created by the Weather Channel, are intended to show forecasted temperatures, winds, precipitation, etc. to the public.  However, more advanced maps are used for creating the actual forecast, or for use in research.  Traditionally, the standard meteorological maps are produced for constant pressure surfaces.  The surface map shows pressure and winds at ground level, and is used for forecasting wind changes, temperatures, and possibilities of precipitation.  850mb generally shows how warm and cold air is moving around, and is often used for predicting temperature changes.  700mb and 500mb show areas of instability, allowing forecasters to predict areas of precipitation.  Finally, 300mb shows the jet stream, which helps indicate how upper level features will affect the lower levels of the atmosphere.

• UW-Milwaukee MM5 model

• UW-Milwaukee Snow Ratio Site (forecasts snowfall rates)

• UCAR RUC2 surface analyses

• UCAR RUC2 upper-air analyses

• UNISYS Eta Model forecasts

• DuPage forecast models

• Texas A&M Weather Interface

• Ohio State

Tropical Weather

While Milwaukee and Wisconsin don't have to deal with tropical weather, tropical systems still attract a lot of interest, especially after Hurricane Katrina.  Sites listed here specialize in providing data on tropical systems.

• National Hurricane Center

• Weather Underground

• The Weather Channel

• NASA: Hurricane Katrina (2005) Resouce Page

• NASA: Hurricane Katrina (2005) Images

Climate Data

Researchers study past events in order to improve their understanding of the weather.  Climate data is often critical in those studies.  The U.S. government provides clearinghouses for such information, including the National Climactic Data Center (NCDC).

• National Climactic Data Center

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This website is maintained by Adam Smith. Please email me with your questions or concerns.