Favorite Model Sites

[StretchCT]

Here are the sites that I use the most.  I pay for Accupro and Pivotal and used to be a Patreon for Tidbits.  Pivotals basic model page is really good even without the subscription.  I find none of them to be optimal and wish I had the skill and resources to combine all the positive traits into the perfect model page.   I see people posting from other model sites and would love see their views of the sites they use.  Weatherbell, WeatherUS as examples.  Does anyone still use instantweathermaps?

Pivotal  - has nearly everything you need and typically has the earliest model output.   However, it lacks the ease of use which Tropical Tidbits and Accupro provide with their slider features.  If they put the slider automatically on the page instead of having to choose it, that would be a big improvement. While Pivotal has a great selection of models and parameters, it does not have nearly what Accupro offers.  For models it has the GFS, GDPS(GEM/CMC), Euro, Ukie and NAVGEM for midrange.  For closer in, it offers NAM, RAP and RGEM.  Then they break it into convection allowing such as HRRR, NAM3k, and a suite of HRW including the latest and greatest FV3 (insert eyeroll). For ensembles its CMC, GFS, Euro, SREF and if you pay, the National Blend of Models.  For parameters, it varies by model and pay level. You at least get a 10:1 snow for all of them, MSLP with type of precip, and QPF.  Upper levels vary but most have 500/700/850 and 925 levels for height, vorticity, wind and temp. Some have vertical velocities.  For severe you get at least CAPE and lapse rates and bulk shear.   Animations are possible including trends, forecast gifs, and model comparison gifs.   Sounding info is also available but one of the features I like most is that when you scroll over an area on the map, you can see the value assigned.  if there was only one model page that I could use, it would be this one.  Pivotal also provides realtime analysis tools, forecasts and satellite, but no radar. 

https://home.pivotalweather.com/

Tropical Tidbits - for a quick look at what is going on, I just go to Tidbits and scroll the slider over.  It carries the GFS, Euro, CMC (GDPS/GEM), ICON, and JMA for Globals.  Regionals it has NAM, Nam3k, RGEM, HRDPS, the HRW Suite including FV3, and HRRR. Being a developed by Dr. Levi Cowan who works at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, it also includes tropical models HWRF, HMON, HAPS, and nested versions of the GFS and Euro.  For ensembles it has the EPS, GFS, and Canadian It also includes sounding info, but lacks the scroll over data that Pivotal provides. Parameters are dependent on the model chosen, but most have the 500mb/mslp maps that I often use.  There's also precip and radar with p-type.  The snow maps are pretty useless unless it's all snow, with the exception of the ICON which is true snow output from the model itself.  Otherwise, sleet and mix situation show up in snow totals. There are some parameters that I don't understand too.  Graphically it's pleasing and pretty clear.  Regions are defined nicely and easier to access than Pivotal.  Animations are available for model trend and forecast, but not for comparing model to model. If I were only watching tropical weather, this would be the site to use.  Tidbits also includes recon for tropical systems, satellite (which I think is better than Pivotal), analysis tools for the tropics and has a northern hemisphere view that includes the 10mb layer. 

https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/

 

Accupro Animator - this is the ultimate when it comes to parameters and models.  These are the model selections, though it's worth noting that some of them don't work.  RTMA is similar to the RTMA on Pivotal.  

Parameters also depend on the model but for the GFS you get the choices in the spoiler  This is on All setting - similar with the NAM, CMC and Euro.  Graphics are much better than they used to be but they kept the old versions for some weird reason.  Only issues I have with the parameters is that I wish I could have an option for most frequently used.  Also I wish all the models had a ptype feature built in with mslp.  They don't have that for the UKIE, NAVY, EURO or JMA, which means going old schools with thickness to determine precip type.

Spoiler

 

Another feature of Animator, is the ability to see multiple models and/or runs at one time either by stacking the runs over one another.  The clip below has the GFS, Euro and CMC for 0z today.

Or you can see side by side. 

 

I can go on about the Animator, and maybe I'll do a video with all the features.  But one last positive is that it can drill down into states on most of the models.  Here are the eastern state selections.  I'll pick VT and snow for an example

I'll end with the drawbacks.  Accuweather isn't a fan of publishing these maps, so I try to use only TT or Pivotal when posting here, unless those maps aren't available (like the vertical velocity/850 temp map or some snow or wind maps).  There is no "animation" feature either, like on Pivotal or TT.  Sometimes the runs take forever to load, way behind TT and Pivotal, and sometimes they don't load at all.  More features means more bugs I guess.  And that's really it.  If I want radar, satellite, conditions, forecasts, it all comes with the pro package. I get climate data, just a ton of weather data most of which I don't need.  

In the end, the perfect model site for me would be the setup and selection of models that Animator has, but with the animation, ease of use, roll over data and soundings that Pivotal and Tidbits offer. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by StretchCT

[StretchCT]

Other useful sites and ones I don't really use anymore

I'll check these out from time to time.

SREF Plumes - https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/sref/srefplumes/

NCEP - https://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/

Penn State - http://www.meteo.psu.edu/fxg1/ewall.html

Text output (put in your local airport code) which gives you temps for layers between the standard ones.

 http://www.wxcaster.com/models_text.htm

 

Here are some other model sites I have bookmarked but rarely look at anymore.

https://www.instantweathermaps.com/

Meteocentre in Quebec has a bunch of models but the graphics are meh

https://meteocentre.com/?lang=en

For the CMC/RGEM

https://collaboration.cmc.ec.gc.ca/cmc/cmdn/pcpn_type/pcpn_type_gem_reg.html

Plymouth State - https://vortex.plymouth.edu/mapwall/forecast/index-gfs.html

When the HRRR was experimental:  https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/hrrr/#

Weathernerds https://www.weathernerds.org/models/

 

[Iceresistance]

1 hour ago, StretchCT said:

Other useful sites and ones I don't really use anymore

I'll check these out from time to time.

SREF Plumes - https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/sref/srefplumes/

NCEP - https://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/

Penn State - http://www.meteo.psu.edu/fxg1/ewall.html

Text output (put in your local airport code) which gives you temps for layers between the standard ones.

 http://www.wxcaster.com/models_text.htm

 

Here are some other model sites I have bookmarked but rarely look at anymore.

https://www.instantweathermaps.com/

Meteocentre in Quebec has a bunch of models but the graphics are meh

https://meteocentre.com/?lang=en

For the CMC/RGEM

https://collaboration.cmc.ec.gc.ca/cmc/cmdn/pcpn_type/pcpn_type_gem_reg.html

Plymouth State - https://vortex.plymouth.edu/mapwall/forecast/index-gfs.html

When the HRRR was experimental:  https://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/hrrr/#

Weathernerds https://www.weathernerds.org/models/

 

WeatherNerds is useful for Rain/Ice/Sleet/Snow radar for the ICON model. It's also frequently used for Tropical Cyclone Tracking, especially the Ensembles.