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Point and Click Forecast Description
Using forecast elements from the
National Digital Forecast
Database (NDFD), forecasters at NOAA's National Weather
Service are now able to provide three types of gridpoint based
forecasts. In most areas the grid resolution is 3 miles (5km); however
in mountainous areas a finer resolution is used, usually 1.5 miles
(2.5km). Below is a description of the three types of gridpoint based
forecasts available, and how to use them.
Note:
The forecasts obtained by
selecting a location on the map found on the home page are now dynamically
created using the
gridded forecast fields
mentioned above. Therefore, these specific point forecasts are no
longer "zone" or county based forecaster manipulated text products
(although these forecaster manipulated text products are still
produced and available on the internet). Therefore, carefully click on
a location in the map and a specific forecast for that point will be
created.
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Forecast-at-a-Glance Features The
Forecast-at-a-Glance page provides current and forecast weather
information directly from NOAA's National
Weather Service. This page provides you with:
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A quick overview of the expected weather for the next
seven days.
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A detailed, seven day forecast.
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Links to the latest weather hazards in your area.
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Current weather conditions near your location with
links to weather history and other weather observation sites.
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A quick glance (click to enlarge) of your local
doppler radar image.
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A quick glance (click to enlarge) of a satellite
image.
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A link to your local NWS Forecast Office as well as
links to other information provided by that office.
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 Forecast-at-a-Glance
One of the first things you will notice will be icons and a short
one to three word forecast for your location of interest. This is
intended to provide you a quick glance at the forecast. The time the
forecast was issued is listed on the right side above the icons. The
one or two word forecast is usually for the most hazardous weather
anticipated during that forecast period. Should you see hazardous
weather mentioned then check the detailed forecast for complete
information. |
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Hazardous Weather and the Detailed Forecast
The detailed forecast section serves two purposes. First, links are
provided for all hazardous weather watches, warnings, advisories,
and/or outlooks for your location. This section also provides the
full text of the weather forecast for the next seven days.
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Current Weather Conditions
The latest weather conditions near your location are displayed along
with the time of observation. When the air temperature is less than
60°F, the wind chill value will be provided. For
temperatures 60°F or greater, the heat index
displayed.
Two Day History is list of the weather for
the past 48 hours at that location. From this summary you can also
view the maximum and minimum temperatures as well as see the hourly,
three-hourly, and six-hourly rainfall totals.
More Local Wx is a link to up to an
additional 10 weather observation sites in the region. Clicking on
any observation name will also provide a "Two Day History" for that
site.
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Doppler Radar and Satellite Images
These thumbnail images give you a quick glance at any weather on
your local doppler radar and an overview of the infrared
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) covering
your region. Clicking either thumbnail will show the full image.
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 Additional
Information
These are links to provide additional relevant information and
include; Zone Area Forecast for... ("zone" or county
based forecaster manipulated text), Air Quality Forecasts,
Printable and Text Only Forecasts, Hourly
Weather Graph (see below), Tabular Forecast
(see below), Forecast
Discussion (technical reasoning behind the forecast),
Hazardous Weather (Hazardous Weather Outlook which details
potentially hazardous weather conditions over the next seven days), Past
Weather Information, and other observation and forecast
information. One additional link is located in the upper left area
above the Forecast-at-a-Glance icons. This is the link to the local
weather forecast office that issued the forecast. |
Hourly Weather Graph Features
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The Hourly Weather Graph
(right) is an element-time look at weather conditions for the next
48 hours. If this forecast type is selected the user can also select
which weather elements they would like to see the forecast for by
selecting/de-selecting the weather element check boxes.
The following weather elements are presented in a linear format,
tracing the changes on an hourly basis,
Temperature
Dewpoint
Relative Humidity
Sky Cover |
Wind Chill
(seasonal)
Heat Index (seasonal)
Wind Direction/Speed
Probability of Precipitation
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Special note concerning wind speed and direction
In addition to the linear trace of the magnitude of the wind, the
wind direction is also shown using what is called a "wind barb".
The wind barb is always point in the direction that the wind is
coming from. The magnitude of the wind on a wind barb is
calculated using the attached flags at the end of the wind barb. A
long wind flag is 10 mph, a short wind flag is 5 mph, and a
triangle wind flag is 50 mph. So, if you see a wind barb with two
long flags and one short flag on it, the forecast wind speed would
be 25 mph.
The following weather elements are presented in bar graph format,
giving the chances for each type of weather event categorically.
Rain
Thunder
Snow (seasonal)
Freezing Rain (seasonal) |
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Tabular/Digital Forecast Features
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Tabular/Digital Forecast (right) provides hourly forecast
information
in tabular format for weather conditions in the next 120 hours. If
this forecast type is selected the user can also select which
weather elements they would like to see the forecast for by
selecting/de-selecting the weather element check boxes.
The following weather elements are presented in a
tabular format on an hourly basis,
Temperature
Dewpoint
Relative Humidity
Sky Cover |
Wind Chill
(seasonal)
Heat Index (seasonal)
Wind Direction/Speed
Probability of Precipitation
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Rain
Thunder
Snow (seasonal)
Freezing Rain (seasonal) |
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