Real-time lightning and custom data available
WeatherTAP.com
provides real-time lightning for an additional cost, as well
as custom data sets.
Custom real-time lightning is displayed in RadarLab HD. Pricing varies depending on the size of the area. Click here to view a sample image.
WeatherTAP Custom Data provides data sets specific to your use. Sample custom data sets include xml-coded radar and xml-formatted metar data. Send your request for lightning pricing or custom data inquiry to webmaster@weathertap.com for details.
WeatherTAP's lightning map coverage extended
WeatherTAP.com
has extended its lightning map coverage to include all of North America, Mexico, and parts of Central America.
This product depicts the locations and age of recent lightning strikes. The data originates from land-based strike sensors, and portrays 90% of cloud-to-ground strikes.
Data for all detected strikes are collected and transmitted from the lightning data collection hub to the WeatherTAP Data Center. The WeatherTAP Data Center continuously accumulates the data and renders a new lightning strike image every 10 minutes.
The age of the strike is depicted by changing the color of the symbol. Real-time lightning is available at an additional charge. Contact us via e-mail for a quote, or call us at 800-337-5263.
SpotterNetwork data now available in RadarLab HD
RadarLab HD now supports SpotterNetwork data and NWS Local Storm Reports (LSR).
Users may turn these on by clicking on the respective "SpotterNetwork" and "Local Storm Reports" check boxes listed under the "Data" tab.
Simply place the mouse cursor over the SpotterNetwork and LSR icons to see information in a tool-tip format. Read more about these new features in the weatherTAP blog, and view sample imagery here: SpotterNetwork Image, LSR/SpotterNetwork Image 1, LSR/SpotterNetwork Image 2.
Hurricane Season 2008 forecasts "above average" activity
The 2008 Hurricane Season began right on cue with Tropical Depression Arthur being followed by meteorologists. The season is June 1 through November 30, the period in the year when hurricanes usually form.
Hurricane experts are forecasting a busy season in 2008, with renowned Colorado State University researchers predicting the U.S. Atlantic basin likely to experience a "well above-average" hurricane season this year, and NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center projecting climate conditions pointing to a "near normal or above normal hurricane season."
Satellite imagery is the best tool in the meteorological toolbox for monitoring formation and movement of tropical systems, and is a strength of weatherTAP's Tropical Weather section. WeatherTAP features visible, thermal infrared (longwave) and water vapor imagery. Areas covered by satellite imagery include the Northern Global Hemispheric, Atlantic Basin, Eastern US, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean views.
When a storm is named and becomes a potential threat to the US, an Area of Interest (AOI) will be created to cover the path. The AOI is created using visible, thermal longwave infrared, and water vapor imagery. As the storm moves from the AOI view, a new one will be created and issued to follow the storm. All images created from the satellite imagery are resized except for the high resolution visible, which is kept in its native 1km resolution.
In order to maximize information with a minimum amount of mouse clicks, several enhancements have been introduced to the tracking and forecast charts. These enhancements include
- Map to include full track of the storm once it is named
- Color coded track based on storm intensity
- Size increase to the storm symbol based on intensity
- Tropical storm and hurricane force wind fields
- Strike probability percentage plotted on top of location on forecast chart
These charts can be viewed on the tropical page when active tropical systems become a threat to the US.
View storm path estimates in RadarLab HD
The latest revision of RadarLab HD includes three new features, including storm path estimates, custom color scales and a change to the warnings check box.
Storm Path Estimates can be viewed as a tool tip by simply hovering the cursor over individual storm cells. Be sure to turn on storm tracks, then mouse over the center of the track.
The tool tip will display the attributes for that particular cell, as well as the time cities might be affected by the storm cell if it maintains its current speed and direction. Only the storm tracks that have cities in their current path will have the storm path estimates. New storm cells will not have a storm path estimate as the direction the cell is moving cannot be calculated for that radar frame.
Users may also now build their own custom color scale for reflectivity radar data. Just click on the Settings button and then the Color Scale tab to get started.
To reduce the amount of clutter that can occur when all the warnings are plotted, the Warnings check box has been removed and replaced with a Severe Warnings check box and an Other Warnings check box. When the Severe Warnings check box is selected, it will display Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood and Marine warnings. All other warnings will be displayed when the Other Warnings check box is selected.
Read more about these latest updates in the weatherTAP blog.
Observations for the past 30 days available
A recent feature added is the set of text products for the past 30 days from local observation stations. From the local forecast page, click the "View Last 30 Days" button in the "Remarks" row to view temperature, dew point, wind speed, gusting, wind direction, pressure and visibility.
WeatherTAP Mobile included with subscription
WeatherTAP
has been developing products to work on a variety of mobile devices,
and is pleased to offer the release of WeatherTAP
Mobile, available at no extra charge for subscribers.
To use WeatherTAP Mobile, simply point the device's browser to http://www.weathertap.com/mobile to get started.
WeatherTAP Mobile makes it convenient for the user to set personal settings with a Mobile Settings page. Users can select timezone, font size, and image pixel size. Read more about these settings in the WeatherTAP blog posting announcing the beta release.
The default image size is set to 200x200 pixels, and all images displayed on WeatherTAP.com can now be viewed, zoomed and panned on several mobile devices. The Mobile Settings page provides default settings for many makes and models, and may also be set manually. To find default settings for a particular device, use the Mobile Edition page. Users may also submit their device on this page to be added to the database soon.
Another feature is the My Favorites link on the mobile weather homepage for quick access to pages. Try it absolutely free today.
Area 51 deployed as new beta area
WeatherTAP's new Area 51 is a place for experimental projects in progress by the weatherTAP development team. The first project released in Area 51 is the offering of KML files, to be viewed in a KML supported application. The most common application to view these is Google Earth. You can download Google Earth for free here.
KML files for Level II Radar images and NWS Warnings are currently available. Each radar file contains six frames of animation for a given site, and will auto-update every five minutes. The NWS warning files contain only the most severe warnings, such as Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood and Marine. Each warning will be displayed as a color-coded polygon. The warnings KML file auto-updates every three minutes.
Something you don't see? Contact us with your request
WeatherTAP's Custom Data Services may be able to provide certain data sets specific to your business or application. E-mail us your request at webmaster@weathertap.com and provide as much detail as possible. Sample data sets include XML-coded radar and XML-formatted Metar data.
DTC DUAT flight plan filing now available
Flight plan filing is now available on the weatherTAP Aviation page. When you fill out your flight information and then press the Submit Request button, your flight plan will be filed through DTC DUAT. You can get to the flight plan filing page by clicking on the "File Flight Plan" menu option at the top of the Aviation page or go directly to the page.
RadarLab High Definition offers Level II radar imagery
We
are excited to announce the official beta release of the latest addition
to our RadarLab™
line of radar analysis tools. RadarLab
HD™ continues the RadarLab™
tradition by combining unprecedented image clarity with never before
seen functionality and utility.
RadarLab HD™ is available at no extra cost to all WeatherTAP subscribers. The classic RadarLab™ tool has not been discontinued and is still available on the site as well. You can access either tool from the new RadarLab™ launch page (example), or alternatively by clicking on the appropriate button at the bottom of every local radar page (example).
WeatherTAP gains FAA QICP approval
WeatherTAP has been granted Qualified Internet Communication Provider (QICP) status by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. This means that WeatherTAP now offers an alternative Aviation Weather area that meets the definition of "approved" weather source as required for FAR Parts 121 and 135 operations.
QICP status only applies to the QICP-certified
Aviation Weather area of WeatherTAP, which is accessible from
the classic Aviation Weather
page. Alternatively, you may choose to make
the QICP-certified area your default Aviation Weather area. This option
will allow you to go directly to the certified area by simply clicking
the “Aviation” heading
in the menu bar.
Got questions? See the Aviation
Weather FAQ for
more information.
Get the latest with WeatherTAP's Blog
Check out the new WeatherTAP blog by Program Manager Robert Parsons. You'll be able to keep up with the latest developments at WeatherTAP.com, including the ability to add "stickers" of weather data to your own site with WeatherTAP data.
Graphical TFRs and NOTAMs available in Aviation Weather
We
are pleased to announce a significant new addition to the Aviation Weather section.
Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and Temporary
Flight Restriction (TFR) graphics are now available.
TFRs are portrayed at national, regional, and individual levels using an intuitive
drill-down interface. Individual TFR areas are super-imposed over VFR sectional
charts for easier identification.
The new searchable NOTAM database is updated every 5 minutes. It provides aviators with a variety of means for locating NOTAMs that may be applicable to their flight operations.
Overlay real-time radar with storm tracks for $6.95 per month
Subscribe today to view real-time radar, high-resolution satellite imagery, storm tracks, storm attributes, and much more. Monthly subscriptions are just $6.95, or $73.95 per year. Subscribe online, or call us at 800-337-5263 weekdays from 7:00–5:00 Central to subscribe or request a free trial period.
RadarLab enables storm tracks, attributes, and custom locations
The RadarLab section of WeatherTAP gives the user more control, and more information, than any other section of the site. WeatherTAP's radar analysis tool includes storm tracks and attributes, the ability to plot custom locations on the weather map with lat/lon coordinates (use Microsoft's TerraServer to find your lat/lon), and much more. Click the RadarLab™ link from any page to discover the full power of this utility.
WeatherTAP Studio available free to subscribers
WeatherTAP Studio is a complete weather analysis package that can be installed on your PC. The special user interface allows access to thousands of weather graphics with advanced features that are simply not possible with a standard web browser. Subscribers may download the software free here . Learn more about WeatherTAP Studio here.