SpotWx NewsDecember 27, 2023More new weather elements Addition #1: The GFS now has individual cloud charts for low, middle, and high clouds. Cloud ceiling and visibility was also added. Addition #2: Cloud ceiling was added to the HRRR and RAP models. The cloud graph was also modified to fix the misleading/inverse lines that previously occurred when either the base or top values were missing. Addition #3: The 2.5 km HRDPS now has the Ventilation Index in the Planetary Boundary Layer graph. Cloud Ceilling is the lowest level of broken cloud (at least 60% sky coverage). (The model data sometimes shows a ceiling at levels lower than a total 60% cloud coverage. It is not yet known why the NCEP does this.) November 21, 2023 Addition of new weather elements Addition #1: The Wet Bulb temperature has recently been added to most numerical weather models, with the current exeption of the GEPS and SREF. It's on the temperature graph, disabled in the legend by default. Wet Bulb temperature is not provided in the source data, so it's being calculated by SpotWx. Addition #2: The GEPS graphs now have the control member for each element, plus there are new graphs for Total Rain, Total Snow, Total Freezing Rain, and Total Ice Pellets. Enjoy! (FYI Given the renewed controversies at X (formerly known as Twitter), this news will not be posted there. Interesting times.) April 23, 2023 Announcement on Accouncements For several years SpotWx used Twitter and Facebook to distribute news, removing the link to this news page. Use of those platforms dropped off in 2022, including deleting the SpotWx twitter account, in favour of simply posting banner messages on the home SpotWx page. However is it recognized that many weather followers use social media, especially twitter, so the SpotWx twitter account has been reborn as of today. Accouncements will still be posted to a banner on the main page as well. This News page will be resevered to accounce major changes to SpotWx such as the addition of a new weather model or features, not temporary technical issues. Thanks for using SpotWx!
March 8, 2017 RDPS data temporal frequency is now hourly! Environment and Climate Change Canada updated the RDPS data temporal frequency from 3 hrs to 1 hr, available on SpotWx.
Nov 29, 2015 Unit customization added. You can now customize your units on SpotWx, either on the top right options on the main page, or top right above the forecast graphs. (The tabular data charts are still in metric for the time being).
Oct 15, 2015 Low Level Wind graph added to HRDPS The Low Level Wind graph was added for the HRDPS model domains.
June 23, 2015 New Time Zone tool A new tool was added to the home page top header last week, allowing you to manually set your time zone.
May 18, 2015 New home page! The home page has been updated to be more responsive for desktop, tablet and mobile use. Functionality remains basically the same. The new design will make future improvements easier, such as the ability to change units (coming soon hopefully).
Jan 18, 2015 GFS Parallel now in production, replacing the previous GFS. The NCEP moved the new 0.25 degree GFS to production on Jan 14, at which time the 0.5 degree GFS version was replaced on SpotWx with the new one. Another small change: the 850 mb temperature has been added as an optional column to the tabular forecast pages.
Jan 6, 2015 GFS Parallel added... The GFS Parallel has been added on SpotWx, which is a parallel run of the GFS with an improved resolution (0.25 degrees instead of 0.5 degrees) and extended forecast period. SpotWx is currently showing up to forecast hour 240. The model data is also available at 12 hour increments for hours 252 to 384, however these were purposefully omitted for the sake of efficiency and the questionable utility of a 16 day deterministic forecast. The GFS Parallel was added last evening on SpotWx in preparation for the upcoming inclusion of this model in the normal NCEP production runs on Jan 14. Other improvements in the last week: The RDPS now has vertical profile graphs, some changes were made to the precipitation graph axes to improve the ease of interpretation, plus some other little improvements and fixes.
Dec 26, 2014 Vertical Profile graphs added for HRDPS (GEM-LAM). All the HRDPS domains, except the Continental domain, now have the vertical profile graph option.
Dec 24, 2014 Added a sneak preview of vertical profile graphs. The GDPS (GEM Global) model forecast page now has an 'Open Profile version' link above, which goes to a new vertical profile time series display. It shows various weather elements (more to come) as a 'heatmap' with the pressure level on the y-axis from 1015mb to 250mb, and the time on the x-axis. This display will undergo a few changes, and more models will be added, but it's being provided now as a little Christmas present. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Dec 18, 2014 Major move and upgrade! Making progress... What's new? What's gone? What's yet to come in 2015?
Feb 9, 2014 Tabular display added A tabular display option has been added to most numerical models (GEM LAM (HRDPS), GEM Regional (RDPS), GEM Global (GDPS), NAM, GFS and RAP). You'll find the option on the top-left above the charts. The page is still a beta version with more options yet to come, published early by user request. BONUS: It should work on all mobile devices (except for the data export options, which use Flash). Let me know if you have any problems. Jan 28, 2014 More recent improvements #1. The 850 mb temperature was added to the GFS temperature graph. #2. The GEM LAM (HRDPS) forecast pages now have the model elevation and land proportion information at the bottom of the page. Dec 21, 2013 Some recent improvements Some recent improvements: #1. An avalanche forecasting office requested upper winds to be added to the US models. So the NAM, GFS and RAP all now have 925, 850 and 700mb winds, which roughly corresponds to 2500ft, 5000ft, and 10000ft above sea level respectively. #2. A skier requested the freezing level on the NAM, so the 0C isotherm (dry bulb freezing level) has been added alongside the existing wet bulb freezing level. Other improvements are being developed as time & resources permit. The next addition should be a tabular/text data option. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, etc, etc. to everyone. October 21, 2013 Update on the future of SpotWx I was recently made aware that some of you haven't been reading the Twitter or Facebook updates, which is understandable as many (myself included) can't access those sites from work. So here's a little update on the future of SpotWx. SpotWx is now routinely accessed from Canada's largest public and private forecasting offices, the major media outlets, numerous federal and provincial government departments and crown corporations, universities, private meteoroligists, and a host of weather enthusiasts. To facilitate growing usage, the addition of new features, and to reduce the risk of outages from power or hardware failures, SpotWx will be moved to a professional dedicated server host this winter (likely before Christmas). A redundant site is also being developed on the Amazon Cloud, to be activated should the main site ever go down. For those who have requested additional features over the past several months, I apologize for not yet moving forward on most those requests. Research into better hosting solutions has taken more time than expected. Time has also been spent optimizing code to use less RAM, allowing for more affordable hosting options. Some of you have specifically requested access to the source numerical data. An HTTP POST service was created, returning the data in CSV format, to meet the automation requirements of some users. A simpler manual CSV access method is also being developed for others. If you are interested in a similar option, please contact me so future products can be developed with your needs in mind. Thanks for all of your support, emails, ideas and suggestions. Keep in touch. Garth
May 13, 2013 GEM Global (GDPS) now uses the new 25km version. The CMC GEM Global model is now using the recently released 25km version, and extends out to 240 hours. It replaces the old 30 km version which covered North America, and the 0.6 degree version which covered the globe, both of which extended to 140 hours. Old links to previous version of the GDPS will automatically redirect to use the new model data. More information about the GDPS can be found here: http://weather.gc.ca/grib/grib2_glb_25km_e.html. April 27, 2013 Hourly UV Index added, global coverage. Sneak preview of new charts. A new UV Index product has been added. It's produced once daily, based on the 12Z GFS run. The forecast has hourly increments, starting at hour 01 (1300Z) and extending out 120 hours. It's currently a separate option at the bottom of the Numerical Models list. For more information, consult http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_global.shtml. You will notice the UV chart looks different (hopefully better). It's the first product on SpotWx using new HTML5 charting code, called Highcharts. As there's no Flash involved, they'll work on any mobile device. I also added a button allowing you to save the chart as a JPEG image. All SpotWx charts will be converted to this new HTML5 version within the coming months. March 25, 2013 Environment Canada's Global Ensemble Prediction System (GEPS) data added. The CMC Global Ensemble forecast data (one half of the North American Ensemble Forecast System, NAEFS), is now available on SpotWx. The CMC Global control member is shown as a thick red line, while all 20 "perturbed" members are shown as thinner coloured lines. Click on a line to see which member it is. The Ensemble median/mean have purposely been omitted for now. The model resolution is 1 degree, there are two model runs daily (00Z and 12Z), and the forecast extends out 16 days (ensemble data is generally used for long-range forecasting, starting around days 4-6). Specific information on CMC's Ensemble can be found here: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/ensemble/index_e.html#info, and more generic info on ensemble forecasting can be found on Wikipedia. March 10, 2013 Lake Huron and Arctic Ocean wave models added. The wave models for Lake Huron and the Arctic Ocean have both been added (Lake Huron domain map, Arctic Ocean domain map). Both models are updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs). All of Environment Canada's wave models are now available on SpotWx. Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the wave models. I'll add more documentation under the FAQ as soon as able. March 8, 2013 Lake Erie wave model added. Environment Canada's Wave Model for the Lake Erie domain has been added (coverage map). The model is updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs). Most of Lake Erie is frozen at the moment, so forecasts won't exist for those areas. Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the wave models.
March 7, 2013 Environment Canada's Wave Model for the Lake Superior domain has been added (coverage map). The model is updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs). Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the wave models.
February 23, 2013 Environment Canada's Wave Model for the Lake Ontario domain has been added (coverage map). The model is updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs). Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the wave models.
February 15, 2013 Environment Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence Wave Model has been added (coverage map). The model is updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs), and has a spatial resolution of 0.05 degrees. It overlaps the North Atlantic domain around Nova Scotia and up to Newfoundland, so both wave models will be available in those areas. Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the model.
February 13, 2013 Environment Canada's North Pacific Wave Model has been added (coverage map). The model is updated 2x daily (00/12Z model runs), and has a spatial resolution of 0.5 degrees. Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the model.
February 10, 2013 Environment Canada's Wave Model has been added for the North Atlantic domain (map). The model will appear if you select a location off-shore, showing in blue text under the Numerical Weather Models list. The model is updated 4x daily (00/06/12/18Z model runs), and has a spatial resolution of 0.15 degrees. Refer to this site, http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/grib/grib2_RDWPS_e.html, for more information on the model. Other wave model domains will be added in the coming weeks.
January 4, 2013 I'm working on major modifications to all the graph products to work on any device, including iPads, iPhones, Blackberry and Android devices. Hopefully this will be completed before spring. Other improvements will include the ability to compare models on the same graphs, to view previous model runs, and compare the forecast against actuals from the nearest weather station(s). The addition of wave models will also be coming this month (waiting for something beyond my control), followed possibly by the DGEX (downscaled GFS to 12km resolution).
November 24, 2012 Okay, it wasn't all about being green, but the entire site is finally running from a single, extremely efficient server. The original Windows XP box has been retired. SpotWx now only uses about 85 watts under normal load, and about 110 watts while processing new model data (including network devices). No more than your typical incandescent bulb! Plus it's hosted in Manitoba which operates exclusively on hydro electric. Now that's green!
November 10, 2012 Check out the last NAM graph for snow depth. It represents anticipated snow on ground. As most stations only report the observed value once per day (and locations in-between stations are interpolated), it's a best estimate based on the most recent reported snow depth, the forecast snow, and local conditions (accounts for melting, compaction, etc.).
November 6, 2012 The GEM Regional (RDPS) model has been upgraded to use the recently released 10 km version, replacing the previous 15 km version. The model domain also extends further south than before, all the way into southern Cuba.
Sept 13, 2012 The precipitation graphs for all numerical models now have individual totals for rain, snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. The hourly precip icon is determined by the majority type for the period.
Sept 9, 2012 Four precipitation types are now being displayed on all GEM model graphs; rain, snow, ice pellets and freezing rain. They each have a separate cumulative total, while the hourly precip icon is based on the majority (mouse-over the icon to view individual precip totals in the case of mixed precip). GEM LAM model users - you may have to clear your browser cache before the precip graphs display properly. The precip graphs for the NAM and GFS models will also be modified in the near future.
Sept 2, 2012 SpotWx will now keep you logged in until you sign out (or delete your cookies). The Favorites page was improved, adding links to your Spot locations which take you to that Spot on the map with the forecast options already displayed in the table.
August 21, 2012 The RAP (Rapid Refresh Products) model has been added. It's an hourly model, with hourly increments going ahead 18 hours. The RAP is often used for forecasting severe weather, since it runs hourly allowing it to keep up with changing conditions. SpotWx is currently displaying the 13 km resolution version, which covers the US and much of Canada, however missing all of northern Canada and also Cape Breton and Newfoundland (see the solid line on this domain map). However, a coarser 32 km version is also available covering all of North America, and will be added to SpotWx sometime in the future.
August 12, 2012 The extended-range Meteocode forecast data has been added to SpotWx.
August 1, 2012 The short term Meteocode forecast data has been added to SpotWx (finally!). Meteocode is the detailed hour-by-hour numeric version of Environment Canada's public text forecast. It's also known by some as the corrected/adjusted SCRIBE. Environment Canada derives the short term Meteocode for each region by taking the forecast data from one or more representative SCRIBE points with the region, and adjusting it based on expert opinion. The public text forecast products you typically read are automatically produced by a computer based on these numeric values. As such, certain forecast elements are fashioned to make the text read as desired (i.e. winds are unusually steady over many hours and only occur in increments of 5 or 10 km/h, or the probability of precipitation is high for many hours but there is no precipitation amount). So keep this in mind when comparing the Meteocode to other products. Is the Meteocode any 'better' than other products? That depends, and is a subject for a much longer discussion. The extended Meteocode will be also coming soon.
June 23, 2012 The GEM Local Area Model (LAM), aka the High Resolution Deterministic Prediction System (HRDPS) has been added for the West (much of BC and Alberta), East (much of Ontario and southern Quebec), and the Maritimes. The model is 2.5 km resolution, valid for a 24 hour period, updated once a day. More info will be added regarding this model asap.
June 14, 2012 OK, so they aren't too useful at the scale of a spot forecast, and people aren't used to looking at the actual numbers either.
June 13, 2012 Vertical Velocity and Absolute Vorticity at levels 850, 700, 500 and 250 mb have been added to the NAM model products.
June 13, 2012 Vertical Velocity and Absolute Vorticity at levels 850, 700, 500 and 250 mb have been added to all GEM numerical model products. June 7, 2012 Canadian GEM Regional (RDPS) model now has 40, 80 and 120 meter AGL winds. The GEM Regional (RDPS) numerical model graphs now include winds at 40, 80, and 120 meters above ground level, which were recently made available by Environment Canada. June 7, 2012 Canadian GEM (RDPS & GDPS) models available 30 minutes sooner. Processing of the Canadian GEM numerical model data has been moved to a new server, and is now available about 30 minutes earlier than before. May 6, 2012 GFS model added. NOAA's GFS (Global Forecast System) model has been added. The resolution is 0.5 degrees, covering the globe. The model is updated every 6 hours, and has a 3 hour temporal resolution going out to 192 hours. April 23, 2012 NAM precip graph upgraded. The NAM precipitation graph has been upgraded to indicate the type of precipitation, including rain, showers, thundershowers, snow, snow showers, freezing rain, and ice pellets. The accumulation of solid and liquid precipitation are summed independently (liquid precipitation includes freezing rain and ice pellets, for the purpose of showing accumulation). All snow amounts are assumed to have a 10:1 snow to water volume (i.e. 1 mm of water equivalent is shown as 1 cm of snow). April 7, 2012 NAM model added. The North American Mesoscale (NAM) model has been added to SpotWx. The resolution is 12 km, covering much of North America down into Mexico and up to around the 60th parallel. The forecasts are issued every 6 hours. The forecast extends to 84 hours, with a 1 hr resolution out to 36 hours, and a 3 hour resolution past 36 hours. Some further improvements will be made, specifically to the precipitation graph to indicate the type of precipitation. Further information about the NAM will be added to the FAQ page as soon as possible. March 2, 2012 'Where am I?' button added. A new 'Where am I?' button has been added on the home page. If your browser supports HTML5, it uses your browser's geolocation service (after receiving your permission). If not, it uses a location service provided by MaxMind based on your IP address. The 'Where am I?' button is intended to make SpotWx easier to use. Your location is not being tracked.
March 2, 2012 A new thickness graph has been added to the SCRIBE forecast. It includes the 1000-500 mb (same as hPa), 1000-850 mb, and 850-700 mb thickness in decameters (dam). The data is used by forecasters to help determine temperature trends and the phase of precipitation. February 26, 2012 New eta level 0.97 (approx. 1000 ft AGL) SCRIBE Temperature & Dewpoint graphs. A new SCRIBE graph has been added showing the eta level 0.97 data (which is approx. 1000 feet above ground) for temperature and dewpoint. The data is useful for evaluating low level cloud, inversions, fog, etc. February 26, 2012 1000-500 mb thickness added to the SCRIBE Temperature graphs. The SCRIBE temperature graphs now have a line for 1000-500 mb thickness (units are in decameters, symbol dam). It is turned off by default (turn it on by clicking on the appropriate box in the legend). The 1000-500 mb thickness is a proxy for the 'bulk' airmass mean temperature, and is a very good indicator of the general temperature trend. Thicker/higher values (thicker atmosphere) indicate higher temperatures, and thinner/lower values indicate lower temperatures. Here is a detailed discussion of thickness values. *If you can't see the legend entry, your screen size is too small. Try zooming in on your browser window (ctrl++) to temporarily see the entry. This has been identified as a bug and will be fixed before summer 2012. |
