Thursday, August 24, 2017

Hodgepodge 299/365 - Real-Time Maps

I'm doing an on-line Red Cross Disaster Assessment class, and I've just reached a section on weather—how to find out what's coming, how severe, etc. They point to the National Weather Service's active alerts map, which reveals further information and forecasts by clicking on specific counties):


That's Hurricane Harvey down there at the bottom. And frost advisories up in northern Wisconsin.

Complementing the weather alerts map are the maps of the national River Forecast Centers, which right now are quiet, thankfully. Here's one region's map, showing a bit of activity this afternoon:


Clicking on individual circles brings up additional information. Here is the yellow spot sitting on the word Minneapolis, which corresponds to a gauge on the South Fork of the Crow River at Delano, Minnesota. I don't think they have to worry. Not today, anyway.


That made me wonder about other real-time maps out there. I've found a few (click on the links for what's going on right NOW). Like, earthquakes!


Lightning strikes! ("a community project," i.e., I wouldn't call it scientific—but it's entertaining!) 


Wildfires . . . (overlaid on the NWS map above)


Wind! (this one is animated: it's soothing to watch)

 
Another all-purpose animated real-time weather site, showing not just wind but also temperature, cloud cover, waves, and pressure, is at Windy. Here's Harvey's wind as it approaches Texas.


Salmon sharks! (travel over the last 30 days)


Amtrak delays! (Okay, a few of these—at least one that I saw, the Southwest Chief out of L.A., headed into Naperville, Illinois, as I type—are actually on time.)


And here, to wrap up, are 25+ Digital Wildlife and Nature Maps (not all real-time) as of March 2014, courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation.

And now, I'd better get back to Damage Assessment.


1 comment:

Kim said...

These are great resources. Thanks!