As part of the 2024 eclipse experience, we were recommended, and used a bunch of different and interesting weather models, websites, and resources. Not every weather website is the same, in regards to cost for its features, user interface, data used, and color schemes.

Some of these sites have more use for astronomy, while others are more general use. But we are going to be using these apps going forward as part of our toolkit, so we want to share them with you in an easy to find place. We already have taken a look at clearoutside, cleardarksky, and meteoblue before, so check out that review as these site complement and are in addition to that.

Please note that we are not meteorologists, nor suggesting that you pay or use all of these sites. Rather, we’re providing additional options and quick tidbits about this websites for you to use in addition to your normal weather website use.

windy.com

Description: Billing itself as a “professional weather app, created for water and wind sports and all outdoor activities.

Pros: It has all the standard features, plus unique features such as rain accumulation, waves, and Thunderstorms. Lots of different models such as ECMWF, HRRR, GFS, NAM, and ICON.Today and 5 days in the future. Graphics are great and really helpful!

Cons: It costs money to get the additional features, including 6 days in the future.

https://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES/index.php

Description: Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) is a collaborative NOAA and NASA program providing continuous imagery and data on atmospheric conditions and solar activity ( space weather ). NASA builds and launches the GOES and NOAA operates them. This site allows you to view this atmospheric information.

Pros: It has a lot of great and extremely useful information for free such as Dust.

Cons: Only able to view currently provided information.

Windy.app

Description: Windy.app “is a professional weather app, created for water and wind sports: sailing, surfing, fishing, and etc. Get detailed weather forecast, live world wind map, and local weather reports.”

Pros: Provides a plethora of information such as Wind speed, direction, and gusts. Cloud coverage for low, medium, and high levels. Plus precipitation and wave direction, height, periods. But in regards to models and other features it’s limited in the free version.

Cons: It costs money to get more uses. By default, it uses the GFS model and provides ads. GFS model it is said has been better at reporting severe and extreme weather many times, but it also has not been a universally accurate source.

Pivotal Weather

Description: The website and company that runs it “has a goal of providing numerical weather data to our clients and users in a clean, modern, and professional way.”

Pros: Lots of different models and information for use.

Cons: It costs money, sells merchandise, and sells other plans for commercial uses.

https://www.ventusky.com

Description: The company behind Ventusky describes itself as “We are a meteorological company. At our company, we focus on weather prediction and meteorological data visualisation.”

Pros: Visualizations are great! Lots of features, and phone apps look to have a plethora of great features that are useful!

Cons: Only 1 model used, GFS.

https://aviationweather.gov/gfa/#clouds

Description: “The Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) web page is intended to provide the necessary aviation weather information to give users a complete picture of the weather that may impact flight in the United States (including Alaska & Hawaii), Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The web page includes observational data, forecasts, and warnings that can be viewed from 18 hours in the past to 18 hours in the future. Hourly model data and forecasts, including information on clouds, flight category, precipitation, icing, turbulence, wind, and graphical output from the National Weather Service’s National Digital Forecast Data (NDFD), are available. Low altitude data, previously found within the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) tool, is available to aid the Helicopter Air Ambulance (HAA) community and other low altitude flights. Built with modern geospatial information tools, users can pan and zoom to focus on areas of greatest interest.”

Pros: Great for aviation, is really detailed, and has alerts for severe weather.

Cons: Limited time period of 18 hours and website looks a bit weird.

https://zoom.earth/maps/satellite

Description: Billing itself as “an interactive map of the world, allowing you to track what’s going on.”

Pros: Has a lot of great features, has HD viewing, and is easy to utilize.

Unique Feature: Has a fire feature to view fires!

Cons: Has Ads, not as many features as the other websites, and only works on current data.

https://weather.cod.edu/satrad

Description: From the college of Dupage, the website “is effective in identifying clouds in contrast to ground and large bodies of water”

Pros: It has many different options and bands that are unique and easy to use.

Cons: Only US based and limited use.

Let us know what your favorites are and thoughts on these websites below. Are there other websites you found during your eclipse research that we should know about? Let us know! Make sure to follow us on social media and check back later for more interesting articles like this!