WeatherOnline

Expert charts

Mod mode (all available models selected

GFS, CMC, NOGAPS, ECMWF, UKMO, RHMC, JMA, CFS.
Ensembles for ECMWF, CMC, GFS.
Side by side model comparison mode

WeatherOnline: By far the most comprehensive site at present giving access to all major (and some lesser known) models for Australia except the Bureau of Meteorology's ACCESS model. The models are updated as often as available, usually each 12 hours at 00z and 12z, but each 6 hours in the case of GFS. The forecasts are available as far ahead as the models make publicly available (e.g. 372 hours (15 days) for GFS, 240 hours (10 days) for ECMWF). The MOD mode allows you to compare some or all models side-by-side. Click magnifying glass to enlarge chart, information symbol for excellent descriptions, panel 1, 2 etc to group charts by period. (30/5/12)

Weatherzone

All models

GASP u2 s6 d0-7
GFS u2 s6 d0-7.5
LAPS u2 s3 d0-3
MLAPS u2 s3 d0-2
WW3 u2 s6 d0-7.5

Weatherzone (home): Free registration required. Best range of charts available; better if you pay for "Silver access" which includes higher resolution maps, access to EC, "TWC Mesocast" and extended GFS out to 14 days, as well as detailed meteograms for hundreds of locations. Maps from different models are presented in a consistent format, allowing easy comparison using an intuitive navigation system. (11/06/07)

Bureau of Meteorology

Simple charts
Forecast charts
Marine charts

Shortcuts:
Simple 4-day forecast charts

GASP u2 s24 d0-3
LAPS u2 s12 d0-1.5 or 2
MLAPS u2 s12 d0-1.5
TXLAPS u2 anals only
WAM u2 s6 d0-1.5

Bureau of Meteorology (home): Australia's official weather service operates one global and a number of regional and sub-regional models, but limits freely available forecast charts to low resolution black and white graphics mostly of surface pressure/thickness, rainfall, wind and sea state out to 2 or 3 days. The three links at left are to the BoM's main charts pages. Technical documentation on the models is here. (12/06/07)

GFS u4 s3 d0-7.5

Brisbane Storm Chasers (home) : An excellent site from Ben Quinn for those interested in thunderstorm development. The range of charts covers forecast instability, upper temperatures and wind shear for all Australia, states and sub-regions around capital cities. Rainfall maps can be generated for any period in the next 7.5 days. Forecast upper air soundings can be generated by clicking anywhere on any map. (04/09/08)

Wetterzentrale

GFS | JMA

Shortcuts:
Pressure+500hPa: GFS | JMA
Rain: GFS | JMA
850 temperature: GFS | JMA

GFS u4 s6 d0-7.5/9
JMA u2 s24 d0-5

Wetterzentrale (home):
GFS: Major advantages are 6-hourly updates and 6-hourly rather than cumulative rainfall. For easiest navigation, click Alte navigation or Animation in top central windown (bottom right corner).
JMA: Click S-Hem in the top central window. Only full hemisphere available.
Shortcut links at left get 9/5 days on the same screen.
So you don't have to reach for the German - English dictionary, bodendruck = sea level pressure, mittl. wolken = sea level pressure + thickness + mid-atmosphere moisture, niederschlag = precipitation, taupunkt = dewpoint. (12/06/07)

Weather Underground

GFS

GFS u4 s3 d0-16

Weather Underground: Three-hourly steps. Neat format allows easy comparison between many different levels in the atmosphere, types of information, model runs and even areas. Select from the drop-down boxes, click Add a map and use the IJKL keys on your keyboard to navigate across the lines showing chart times. (14/06/07)

IPS Meteostar

Chart plotter
City graph/data

GFS u4 s6 d0-6/16

IPS Meteostar: Chart plotter allows selection of one of many variables (somewhat slanted to aviation), then produces a neat controllable animation for the full available run of GFS. You can select the current or any of the past six model runs. City graph/data offers very detailed data for 65 main airports around Australia for the forecast period. Click any of the time series items for meteograms of forecasts and recent observations.

COLA

GFS

Shortcuts:
Rain
Pressure
Heat/cold
Storms

GFS u2 s24 d0-6

COLA (home): Elegant presentation and excellent explanation. Six panels give surface pressure/1000-500hPa thickness, 850hPa temperature, humidity and winds, 700hPa vertical velocity, 500hPa height and vorticity, 200hPa (jetstream) winds and divergence, precipitable water and instability index. Particularly useful are the 14 day forecasts for Australia/New Zealand of precipitation | temperature | soil moisture. (11/06/07)

US Navy

GFS | NOGAPS

GFS u2 s12 d0-6
NGP u2 s12 d0-7.5

US Navy Met Centre (home): GFS has limited range of charts, but both models have a 3-day archive allowing you to compare the results of the most recent 6 runs - click on the date groups at the top of the page. (11/06/07)

ECMWF

EC u2 s24 d3-10

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Click on Australia for charts showing surface pressure/850hPa windspeed and the 500hPa geopotential height. Similar charts are available for the southern hemisphere. (12/06/07)

Uni of Wyoming

GFS | UK

GFS u4 s6 d6h-7.5
UK u2 s6 d6h-3

University of Wyoming (home): Select Australia from Region. You can then build your own maps from the range of colour fills and contours available selecting from up to 12 parameters including pressure, rainfall, temperature, windspeed and lifted index. All standard heights can be plotted. (12/06/07)

US Air Force

All charts

WRF u4 s3 d6h-2

US Air Force Weather: At the top of the page, run your mouse over Australia > Model Charts > MM5 models, then select what you want. Many of the charts are under the wx-print listing. Forecasts in 3-hour increments out to 48 hours are given for most of the usual parameters, but also for cloud tops, surface and jet stream winds, surface wind chill and heat index, freezing level, precipitation type (including severe thunderstorms), icing and turbulence hazards, and lifted index and totals totals instability indexes. There is also a rather fascinating radar reflectivity forecast, which forecasts what the rainfall radar will look like each 3 hours. (12/06/07)

BSCH

Accumulated rain

GFS u4 s- d0-7.5

Brisbane Storm Chasers Homepage: Accumulated rainfall totals for the next three and 7.5 days for all Australia, each state/territory, and capital city areas.

Metvuw.com

AUS/NZ
SE AUS
Western AUS
Tasman Sea/NZ

GFS u4 s6 d0-7.5

Metvuw.com (home): Features 6-hourly updates, 6-hourly rather than cumulative rainfall, and a simple presentation. No upper charts. The World View provides one of the few global forecasts available. (12/06/07)

Snow-forecast.com

SE AUS | dyn
NSW | dyn
VIC | dyn
TAS | dyn

WRF u2 s12 d12h-3
???

snow-forecast.com (Home): Also provides rainfall, freezing level, surface temperature, cloudiness and snow accumulation for the next three days in 12-hourly steps, and snowfall accumulation for the past 3 and 7 days. Static and dynamic (dyn) versions. (12/06/07)

READY system

Meteograms

GFS u4 s3/12 d0-3/7.5/16

READY system, NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (Home): Allows you to produce meteograms (graphical forecasts of the weather through time for one place) in great detail out to 3 days and broad detail out to 16 days for any place on earth. To produce a simple meteogram, click your location on the map, choose a time period from the drop down menu beside Meteogram, enter the access code at the bottom of the next screen, and your meteogram appears. This site rewards experimentation. (12/06/07)

NOMADS

Runs last 24 hrs
Runs last 2 mnths

GFS u4 s3 d0-16

NOAA Operational Model Archive Distribution System (Home): The source site for GFS charts. Many plotting options are available of which only two are listed at left. There are 3 servers with some redundancy, so if one is down you can find basic forecast plotting capability at another. You can plot nearly every variable known to meteorology. You have to know what you're doing. (14/06/07)

PSD Map Room

GFS

Ensemble forecast products, including surface, 500hPa and 1000/500 thickness forecasts (including spaghetti plots) out to 15 days for the southern hemisphere. For an explanation, click here. (12/07/06)