My Mini Map Room

 

 

As a National Weather Service storm spotter, I like to keep a close eye on the weather, especially when severe weather is in the forecast. For those days, I created this web page and it's larger companion page, Daily Weather Charts. The intent is to give me an amateur's "map room" for north Alabama. However, this is not a map room in the conventional sense, since it is not my intent to make a weather forecast. Instead, the purpose of this page is to answer these questions: Is today a severe weather day? If so, what, where and when?

 

Please feel free to copy and adapt this page to your needs.
A URL for this page: http://tinyurl.com/6hwnh2

 

Current Conditions

 

National Forecast Map

 

Source: The Weather Channel

 

 

 

Activity Chart
 Storm Prediction Center, NWS

 

Activity Chart

 

If there is a notation "See Text," refer to the text messages at Day One Convective Outlook.

 

 

 

Radar Images

 

SE US Radar

 

SE US Radar Image

 

Source: Weather.com

 

 

 

Alabama

 

Radar for Huntsville, AL

 

Source: Weather Underground

 

Additional SE Radar

Huntsville and Regional Weather Map, Weather Underground
 Hytop (Alabama), National Weather Service

Columbus Air Force Base (Mississippi), National Weather Service

Southern Mississippi Valley Sector, National Weather Service

NEXRAD for HSV / Regional NEXRAD for SE US
Satellite / Severe / Tornado / Hurricane

Alabama - Next Generation Weather Lab, College of DuPage

 

Additional maps from NBC's WeatherPlus web site: National Radar | National Satellite | SE US Radar | SE US Satellite

 

 

 

Satellite Images

 

SE US – Infrared

 

SE US Satellite Image

 

Next Generation Weather Lab, College of DuPage

 

 

 

Surface and Upper Air Maps
 RAP Real-Time Weather Data
 The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Operated by the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research

 

500 mb Upper Air Map

 

500 mb Upper Air Map

 

Source: RAP Real-Time Weather Data

 

An additional 500 mb Map is available from Department of Commerce "Daily Weather Map"

 

Additional Surface and Upper Air Maps, National Weather Service,

 

 

 

Skew-T Sounding Chart
 Station KEET (Birmingham, Shelby County, AL)

 

Birmingham, AL, Skew-T Sounding Chart

 

SKEW-T Text

 

Source: Unisys.com

 

Skew-T Questions

    In addition to the comments in the NWS Skew-T itself, there are several other values to monitor:

Y / N - CAPE greater than 1500 J/kg? In the forecast? - Y / N

Y / N - CINH less than 50? In the forecast? - Y / N

Y / N - LI (Lifted Index) less than -5? In the forecast? - Y / N

Y / N - Upper level winds (between 500 and 300 mb level) of greater than 100 knots?

Y / N - Low level winds (850 to 700 mb) at 25 knots or greater?

Y / N - Atmospheric winds increasing at higher levels (upper level speed shear greater than 70 knots)?

Y / N - Atmospheric winds from different directions (directional shear of 60 degrees or more from the surface to 700 mb)?

Y / N - Super-adiabatic lapse rate – where the temperature decreases with height – at a rate of greater than 10 degrees Celsius per kilometer? (data is displayed on the NWS Skew-T chart in the lower left corner)

Y / N - Dew Point greater than 55 degrees?

Y / N - Temperature greater than 80 degrees? In the forecast? - Y / N

Note: High temperature and high dew point indicates high instability, increasing the threat of severe weather.

Y / N - Is there a 30 to 50 degree surface temperature/dew point spreads? (may indicate high microburst potential)

 

In the event that some of the above values indicate a potential for thunderstorms, bring up the Text version of the SKEW-T and check the following values: Lifted Index, Showalter Index, K Index, Energy Index.

Note: I've acquired these questions from numerous sources, believed to be reliable.
If this is not the case, please contact me at w4dda at arrl dot net. Thanks!

 

[Insert Current Conditions From My Personal Weather Station Here]

 

Skew-T Sounding Charts from National Weather Service:

I find that some information on the NWS chart is easier to read, and there is additional information that is found on those charts that is not found on the UNISYS chart. On days where severe weather is in the forecast, I download, save and incorporate the most recent NWS soundings.

 

Discussions of the contents of a SKEW-T diagram:
UNISYS, Upper Air Sounding Details
NWS, Explanation of SPC Severe Weather Parameters
Jeff Haby, Getting To Know SKEW-T Parameters and Forecasting Severe Weather Using SKEW-T

 

 

Convective Outlook, Day 1 Outlook, Day 1
 Storm Prediction Center, NWS

 

Convective Outlook, Day 1

 

If there is a notation "See Text," refer to the text messages at the Day One Convective Outlook. Convective Outlooks for Day 1 Through Day 8 are also available.

 

 

 

Enhanced Resolution Thunderstorm Outlook
 Storm Prediction Center, NWS

 

Enhanced Resolution Thunderstorm Outlook

 

 

Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity

National Hurricane Center, NOAA

 

Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Activity

 

Blank Atlantic Tracking Chart

 

 

 

Additional Hurricane-related resources from the NESDIS and the NWS:

 

Tropical Cyclone Maps from WeatherPlus.com:

 

The Loop Current - MGSVA Three-Month Plot

 

 

 

National Forecast Map
 Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NOAA

 

National Forecast Map

 

     Other good national forecast maps include: Weather Underground |The Daily Weather Map | Unisys | University at Albany

     Several weather forecast models: Model Output Statistics (contour plots of weather forecast data) from Unisys Weather Services: NGM Model | NAM/Eta Model | GFS/Avn Model | GFSx/MRF Model | RUC Model | ECMWF Model

     Two surface analysis forecast loops: USSATSFC & RADSFCUS

     Final Extended Forecast Discussion & Additional Forecast Discussions, The Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC)

     Rules for Finding Fronts, Professor Paul Sirvatka, College of DuPage

 

[Insert the Day One Convective Outlook or Final Extended Forecast Discussion here]

 

 

 

Quantitative Precipitation Forecast

24 Hour Precipitation Total - Day 1
Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, NOAA

 

 Quantitative Precipitation Forecast

 

24 Hour Precipitation Totals (Valid 12Z-12Z)

Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts

Quantitative Precipitation Forecast Discussion

“ Introduction to Various QPF Techniques,” Norman Junker, HPC

 

 

 

Graphical Forecast for Huntsville
 Huntsville Office, NWS

 

 

Graphical Forecast for the Southern Mississippi Valley

 

Text Products:

 

The 7-Day Forecast

 

 

 

 

Short Term Forecast (The 6-Hour NOWCAST).

Not issued during fair weather. Access during inclement weather; carefully check the date and time.

 

 

 

Hazardous Weather Outlook (HWO)

 

 

 

Area Forecast Discussion (AFD)

 

 

 

Definitions

This is a scratch-pad area to capture acronyms and terms in the above forecasts and discussions that I'm unfamiliar with. They are later copied to a larger document that I maintain.

 

 

 

Weather at 417 Hughes Drive

Current Conditions
Today's History
Source: Weather Underground
 

Today's Weather Conditions:

 

 

 

[Insert Current Conditions From My Personal Weather Station Here]

 

References

 

 

Other Severe Weather Day Resources

 

Emergency Resources

 

Know your enemy! — that is, what are the threats that you and your family will face in your area? Then make a plan, prepare a disaster kit, and be prepared to take appropriate action as directed by your local emergency management agency. If ordered to evacuate, do not delay. Flood waters can rise with great speed. About 60% of all flood deaths are people in vehicles that were swept away by moving water, including children who were passengers. The next flood can always be bigger than floods you have seen before; 100-year floods can occur every year.

    History's lesson is clear: those who are prepared are more likely to survive, and those who are not prepared are the least likely to survive (this includes those who are overweight or have mobility issues).

    This is an issue of personal responsibility. It's not the government's job to save me or my family. It is my job to be prepared for an emergency.

    It is unrealistic to expect that any level of government will be able to step in and save me and my family in the event of a catastrophic emergency. Some storms will be so severe that local governments will be unable to rescue citizens in immediate danger. If you ignore a mandatory evacuation order, you will be on your own until after the storm passes, flood waters have subsided, and roads have been cleared. This could be days or weeks, and if I haven't put aside extra food and water, my family and I will be getting very hungry and thirsty.

   If the sheriff comes by and tells you either to leave or to put on a body tag, then you've had fair notice. Likewise, if the National Weather Service says that people who ignore evacuation notices “will face certain death,” then you've had fair notice.

    During Hurricane Ike, I heard an telephone interview on television with a woman on the Texas coast who said that she was trusting in God to protect her. Due to flooding, she was already cut off from evacuation routes, and this was more than 15 hours before landfall. She was told two days before that she was in a danger area. She was told the day before that she was under a mandatory evacuation order. In short, God had sent her at least two clear messages, which she ignored.

    If God sends you a canoe, get in and start paddling.

 

Be Informed, Be Involved, Be Ready!

 

 

Other National Weather Resources

Anything Weather
AccuWeather - AccuWeather Hurricane Center
California Regional Weather Server, San Francisco State University
Intellicast.com
Live Weather Images
MSNBC Weather
Unisys Weather
UM Weather, University of Michigan
USA Today Weather Page
Weather.com
Weather.org
WeatherBonk
WeatherBug
Weather For You
WeatherPlus, NBC
Weather Underground
WeatherUSA.Net
WxUSA

 

Directories

Yahoo Weather
Google Weather

 

Other : About.com:Weather

 

Text Products

These are not NWS products. I created them for my personal use in Huntsville, Alabama. Please feel free to copy and adapt to your situation as needed.

 

"Is Today A Severe Weather Day?"
Open Office / Microsoft Word

Storm Spotter Reference Sheet - Huntsville (PDF)

 

My Other Weather Pages 

The Weather

Weather Data For Family & Friends

Current Conditions - Hughes Drive

 

W4DDA

 

Huntsville Amateur Radio Club (HARC)
Eva Amateur Radio Club (EARC)
Decatur Amateur Radio Club (DARC)
North Alabama Repeater Association (NARA)
ARRL-Alabama
ARES-Alabama / Madison County ARES
Huntsville-Madison County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES)

 


 Scott & Kimberly Davis - N3FJP & KA3SEQ - www.n3fjp.com

 


I have no affiliate or other financial relationship with the above sources.
All links open in a new window at an external site.
I have no control over the content of external sites.
Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation.
 

 

Notes concerning saving this page.

    On potentially severe weather days, I bring up this web page, and then save it to my hard drive. The purpose is to get copies of that day's graphics on my hard drive.

    I then open that saved page, and copy and paste the contents into a text document (it is easier for me to supplement and edit a text document than a new HTML document).

    I have found that when I re-open a saved web page at a later date, that page will often look for the current graphic, rather than the saved graphic (a function of the "image source" function in HTML). By immediately copying the saved web page (including saved graphics) into a text document, I am able to ensure that I will be able to review those contents on later dates.

 

Current Projects:

    This page is frequently updated ... I add, subtract and move stuff around. Check back frequently.

    1. One project is an attempt to pass text from JavaScript to HTML. The reason is to capture certain NWS images that are saved only in a date-specific format or in a date-specific folder. Such images are otherwise impossible to capture and reproduce on a page such as this. In particular, I would like to capture the National Weather Service's Skew-T Sounding Chart images and Surface and Upper Air Maps. The current work: Day Month Year Scripts

    2. Another project addresses this question: Is there a way that this text can be "included" in a box on this page? The seven-day forecast for Huntsville, "text version," can be found at:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=ALZ006&zflg=1&TextType=1. (Text Version)

I would like to be able to include that text in a box on this page (with appropriate attribution, of course).

 

Due to a move that will occur in the middle of October,
all links to current conditions at our residence will be temporarily broken.
We are moving from Hughes Drive, Huntsville, Al, to Willow Place, Priceville, Al,
a distance of about 25 miles.

 

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