Western Piedmont
WEATHER AUTHORITY
Software
The purpose of this page is to explain how we use each piece of software to create our forecasts accurately. The list of software is in order of importance in the forecast process.
Next Generation Weather Lab (NGWL)
Our primary source of weather information, including analysis and model data, comes from the Next Generation Weather Lab offered for free by the College of DuPage Department of Meteorology. This software is entirely web-based, but contains a plethora of weather information that we can access quickly and easily using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. We primarily use the NGWL to analyze surface and satellite data, isentropic charts, and perform mesoscale analysis. We also use the NGWL to interrogate several computer models and associated ensembles. We occasionally use the NGWL to analyze radar data, although the radar loops are based on Java/Flash and do not work as well in older browsers.
You can access the software here: http://www.weather.cod.edu
Sounding and Hodograph Analysis and Research Program in Python (SHARPpy)
This particular software is an invaluable resource to have at our disposal. SHARPpy is a free and open-source program developed by a group of professional meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). SHARPpy mimics the design of the official SPC software used for sounding interpretation and interrogation known as NSHARP. It has the ability to plot observed sounding data from all of the rawinsonde observation sites in the U.S. and plots forecast soundings for most major American computer models and ensembles. It also provides important hodograph analysis for severe weather along with several other nomograms to aid in severe weather forecasting. Because it is written in Python, the program allows you to easily modify a sounding and customize it freely; you can save this sounding and use it as a reference when looking through model data.
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You can download SHARPpy here: https://github.com/sharppy/SHARPpy#installing-sharppy
Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)
This particular software is another invaluable resource to have at our disposal. Unidata AWIPS is a free software offered by Unidata Corporation. The software is strikingly similar to the National Weather Service version of AWIPS, known as AWIPS II. AWIPS excels at enhanced graphical visualization of forecast data and in-depth radar interrogation. It is also capable of loading various model datasets. However, because WPWA uses Windows 10 as its primary operating system, AWIPS can become a bit buggy with model and satellite data. The software is not as buggy with the radar data, and thus we primarily use AWIPS for radar interrogation during severe weather. However, we occasionally use it to create cross-sections of model data for in-depth analysis.
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You can download AWIPS here: https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/awips2/
BUFKIT
This software is used to interrogate forecast sounding data via the creation of detailed vertical-cross sections and various nomograms to gain a three-dimensional aspect of the atmosphere. BUFKIT was originally developed by the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine for the purpose of investigating the vertical profile of the atmosphere during winter weather. It is now used to interrogate both severe and winter weather events. We use BUFKIT somewhat sparingly compared to SHARPpy, but BUFKIT is more feature-rich and does work well when we need to go extremely in-depth about the atmosphere.
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You can download BUFKIT here: https://training.weather.gov/wdtd/tools/BUFKIT/index.php
Pivotal Weather & NCO Model Guidance Page
Although the above are not necessarily "software", these websites provide extra visual depictions of computer model guidance for our interrogation, including some ensembles that are not available in AWIPS or the NGWL.
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You can visit the websites here:
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Pivotal Weather: www.pivotalweather.com
NCO Model Guidance Page: mag.ncep.noaa.gov
Quantum GIS (QGIS)
We utilize this software to create graphical depictions of model data and to create our graphical severe and winter weather outlooks. QGIS allows us to create versatile maps for severe weather events and helps convey complex model data in a simple format for our non-scientific customers/audience.
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You can learn more about QGIS here: www.qgis.org
Microsoft PowerPoint
Obviously, this one is pretty self-explanatory. We use PowerPoint to create our standard forecast graphics (our 5 day forecast for example) and to create our briefings.