Historical weather observations and forecasts
Guides to station observations, NWS forecasts, radar, satellite and lightning imagery, climate reports, rain charts, hazards and archived weather dashboards.
- Embedding a USGS Earthquake List on a Cumulus PHP SiteHow to embed a USGS earthquake list on a Cumulus PHP site: filter the feed, label origin time, and avoid flooding visitors with global M2 events.
- Reading a Cumulus Gauge DashboardHow to read a Cumulus gauge dashboard as simultaneous current observations: check the clock first, then pressure tendency, then the wind speed.
- A Cumulus Daily Graph Set as a Figure PlateA Cumulus daily graph set of temperature, dewpoint, pressure, wind, and rain as one figure plate—not a JPGraph project and not a login gate.
- Why Cumulus Sites Kept /graphs and /graphs2Why Cumulus sites kept both /graphs and /graphs2: a second collection for longer periods, extra sensors, and a wind rose besides the daily plate.
- Embedding Official Radar on a Cumulus Station SiteHow to embed official NWS radar on a Cumulus site: iframe, attribution, refresh, and captions—without treating the image as a station sensor.
- Advanced Forecast Pages: Discussion Over IconsArea Forecast Discussions and point forecast matrices explain why a forecast exists. Icon rows do not. How to read advanced NWS forecast products.
- Reading a Station Chart Suite Across Several Time AxesHow to read a weather-station chart suite: temperature, pressure, wind, and rain together, with 24-hour, monthly, and sparkline axes kept distinct.
- What a Current-Conditions Record Must ContainA current-conditions record needs a timestamp, units, station ID, and sensor list. How to judge staleness, and how a table differs from a text bulletin.
- Why Weather Sites Showed EarthquakesWeather sites showed USGS earthquakes because visitors asked; seismic and meteorological observations use different instruments and agencies.
- Forecast Versus Station ObservationA forecast is time-bounded model guidance, not a backyard reading. Why personal weather sites showed both, and how to keep the two families apart.
- The NWS Phoenix Metro Forecast as a ProductThe NWS Phoenix metro forecast is an official office product with lead time and an issuance cycle. A station page that displayed it is not live NWS.
- NWS Watches, Warnings, and Advisories on a Personal Weather SiteNWS watches, warnings, and advisories are official products. A PWS may link them with issuance time; it must not paraphrase them into a competing alert.
- Why a Desert Weather Station Linked NHC Tropical ActivityWhy a Mesa-era desert PWS carried NHC Atlantic and East Pacific pages: remnants, moisture plumes, and education, not a live tropical warning service.
- Lightning Detection and Satellite Imagery on the Same PageLightning detection versus satellite IR and water vapor on one PWS page: ground networks, optical satellite, and GRLevel3 as display, not a sensor.
- Reading a Station NOAA-Style Monthly Climate SummaryHow to read a station-generated NOAA-style monthly climate HTML: daily max, min, and precipitation, without treating it as official NCEI climate.
- Choosing a Date for a NOAA-Style Climate ReportHow date selection works for a NOAA-style station climate archive: validity day versus issuance time, and why the chosen date is required metadata.
- Weather Radar as Remote Sensing on a Personal Weather SiteWeather radar is remote sensing, not a thermometer. Reflectivity, beam height, and clutter explain why a PWS linked radar beside a rain gauge.
- NEXRAD Level III Products and GRLevel3 as a Display ClientNEXRAD Level III products are generated radar images, not a full WSR-88D volume. What GRLevel3 displays as a client, and what it omits.
- GOES-West Satellite Imagery Is Not RadarGOES-West is a geostationary satellite, not radar. Infrared and water-vapor imagery from current GOES-18, with historical West-slot context.
- Third-Party Radar Mosaics Are Not a WSR-88D VolumeThird-party radar mosaics from the Weather Underground era: provenance, latency, and why a stitched consumer map is not a WSR-88D volume.
- Short-Term Station Trends and Forecasting LanguageShort-term station trends—3-hour pressure and temperature tendency—and how rising, falling, or steady language is used in local forecasting.
- A Month of Daily NOAA-Style Rows as a Climate AppendixA month of daily NOAA-style station rows as a climate appendix: completeness, trace rain, and quality flags a personal-station table often omits.
- Station-Site Forecast CompositesA station forecast page often mixes NWS text, a local model, and sensor trends. Label each source so a composite is not mistaken for one authority.
- Rain-Detail Charts: Tips, Hours, Days, and UnitsRain-detail charts: tipping-bucket tips versus hourly and daily totals, funnel calibration, desert convective bursts, and inches versus millimetres.
- Phoenix-Area NEXRAD (KIWA): Beam Geometry over the DesertPhoenix-area NEXRAD (KIWA) coverage of Mesa: beam height over desert, clutter, and range. This page is not a live Doppler loop.
- Republishing an NWS Forecast on a Station SiteAttribution, fetch lag, and format breakage when a personal weather site copies official NWS forecast text. Provenance rules for station publishers.
- Lightning as a Local Observation, Not a Rain GaugeLightning on a PWS is a local observation from an optical sensor, radio mapper, or network feed, not a rain gauge and not an official warning.
- WD-Live as a Data View of the Latest PacketWD-Live as an HTML data view of the latest observation packet: named fields on a page, refresh cadence, and why refresh is not the sample rate.
- Solar Geometry on a Weather SiteSunrise, sunset, and solar elevation are astronomical calculations. Why radiation and apparent temperature depend on sun angle, not on a thermometer.
- Station Weather Dashboards as Information ArchitectureHow a personal-station weather dashboard is organized: current stats, forecast, radar, and live views as separate evidence, not one live number.
- Station Identifiers and Observation ProvenanceWhy a public station ID such as KAZMESA12 is part of observation provenance, using a dated 26 April 2005 published HTML snapshot only as history.
- Publishing ClientRaw Files at /weather/rawPublishing Weather Display ClientRaw files at a public /weather/raw path as a data contract: access control, stale packets, and directory layout.
- Weekly Climate Tables from a Personal Weather StationHow to read a weekly or seven-day climate table from a personal weather station: missing days, units, and honest comparison to a climate normal.
- WXSIM as a Local Station ModelWXSIM is a local mesoscale and statistical weather model run at a personal station. It is a scenario, not NWS and not TNET Connection Outlook.