4 min

Custom Toledo-area weather Web site

See also Weather test pages to use

  • Using this XML file for Lucas County weather conditions and forecasts.

Mobile friendly, responsive design.

Maybe jQuery mobile code used to make the mobile version more app-like.

Access XML/Atom feeds from the NWS.

http://weather.noaa.gov/pub/data/forecasts/marine/near_shore/le/lez145.txt

toledo express airport:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.5924053&lon=-83.80837989999998&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=Toledo%20Express%20Airport%2C%20Swanton%2C%20OH%2043558%2C%20USA%23.Ub-a_OdwqSo#.Ub-bJudwqSo

toledo executive (metcalf) airport
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.556996&lon=-83.62715700000001&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=Perrysburg%2C%20OH%2C%20USA#.Ub-duedwqSo

mobile site examples

http://www.jqmgallery.com

http://www.visitidaho.org/m
https://mobile.united.com
[x] http://m.triviala.com
[x] http://touch.ddbcanada.com
http://m.ikea.com
http://www.orlandonissan.com/mobile
[x] http://m.the-eg.com

Counties

  • Lucas - cle
  • Ottawa - cle
  • Wood - cle
  • Henry - n IN
  • Fulton - n IN
  • Monroe - Det/Pon
  • Lenawee - Det/Pon

Info to display

need to gather info from NWS offices at Cle, Det, and n. IN.

  • 36-hour Toledo/Lucas County forecast
  • Extended forecast
  • weather radar images
  • satellite cloud cover image
  • estimated rainfall radar
  • current weather conditions at area airports
  • SPC
    • mesoscale discussions
    • watch boxes
    • convective outlooks
  • area forecast discussion
  • hazardous weather outlook
  • local storm reports

Feeds

update 15June2013 Weird.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=OHZ003

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.7120535&lon=-83.60291159999997&site=all&smap=1&searchresult=Toledo%2C%20OH%2043613%2C%20USA#.UbznrudwqSp

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.61000&lon=-83.8&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=dwml

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=41.71205&lon=-83.60291159999997&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=dwml

June 2013 TT comment

My June 13, 2013 comment at Toledo Talk

http://weather.gov/glossary


A common acronym used in weather statements regarding thunderstorms is MCS.

Mesoscale Convective System. A complex of thunderstorms which becomes organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms, and normally persists for several hours or more.


Here's a good idea, but it's not working at the moment.

View the Area Forecast Discussion for the Toledo area.

On that discussion page, note how some terms are links to a glossary. Problem is, at least for me, those links don't work. I think they are using the wrong URL.

Example from the discussion page:

.MARINE...
UPDATED TO START THE SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR AVON POINT WEST IMMEDIATELY.


The broken URL being used is this:
http://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=SMALL%20CRAFT%20ADVISORY

But this URL works:
http://w1.weather.gov/glossary/index.php?word=SMALL+CRAFT+ADVISORY


The statements produced by the National Weather Service are always in all-caps. It's hard to read. I convert the text to lower case by using http://convertcase.net

Does a technical reason exist for the NWS to use all-caps? It is because of all the acronyms and proper nouns for locations? Is it a leftover function from the old teletype days?


I assume that one role of the media is to take the technical information from the NWS and make it digestible for the public. The media is the middleman.

The weather information disseminated by the media is too simplistic for me.

I like reading the convective outlooks and mesoscale discussions produced by the Storm Prediction Center and the area forecast discussions produced by the Cleveland National Weather Service.

But sometimes, the information produced by the NWS can be too technical, complicated, and verbose for me.

The NWS should not change their tactics, except for that all-caps thing. I would prefer to have too much technical information than a small amount of simple information.

What's needed is a happy medium, and that's what JustaSooner provides. Valuable, technical, and interesting information that's explained well enough to be understood.

Some methods to inform the public can be implemented with a computer program running in the background, but a human interpreter is tough to replace.


I would like:

  • weather Web app not a native app
  • minimal and simply implemented
  • responsive design to function well on all screens
  • no silly-ass images or icons.
    • if the forecast text says "mostly sunny" then I don't need an image of a sun.
    • the icons waste space
    • if a person does not have the time to read the text, and therefore needs cute icons, then this app is not intended for that person.
  • 36-hour forecast
  • Extended forecast
  • weather radar images
  • satellite cloud cover image
  • current weather conditions at area airports
  • area forecast discussion
  • hazardous outlook statements
  • map of watches, warnings, advisories, and special statements
  • local storm reports
  • maybe radar image of estimated rainfall
  • SPC info:
    • mesoscale discussions
    • watch box info
    • convective outlooks
  • alerts

Does a Web or native app exist like that?

Much of the information can be culled from using the XML feeds produced by the NWS, but of course, the information will be technical.

Sample Home Page One

If too lines per row, 25 chars max with larger font and 35 chars max with smaller font per row for smartphone in portrait mode.

No watches or warnings, no hazardous outlooks, and no mesoscale discussions

Toledo Wx 12:15 pm 16Jun2013
Partly Cloudy 74 11:52am -->
Radar -->
7-day Forecast 10:25am -->
Forecast Discussion 9:42am -->
Convective Outlook -->
No Hazardous Weather -->
More Radar and Map Images -->
Toledo Metcalf and Suburban Airports Wx -->

NWS Date and Time Formats

hazardous weather outlook
national weather service cleveland oh
436 am edt thu jun 20 2013

mesoscale discussion 1054
nws storm prediction center norman ok
1150 pm cdt wed jun 12 2013

urgent - immediate broadcast requested
severe thunderstorm watch number 300
nws storm prediction center norman ok
400 pm cdt wed jun 12 2013

area forecast discussion...updated
national weather service cleveland oh
651 pm edt thu jun 20 2013

#weatherapp - #programming - #design - #jquery - #javascript - #toledo - #weather - #blog_jr

By JR - 888 words
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