In the first (green) box are forecast models. Unisys has a full selection of
models, DuPage a full selection of different ones (via a separate menu). Both
have 0Z GFS (MRF) and some ECMWF charts. Unisys also has 3-day 12Z GFS (AVN)
and the ETA and NGM, DuPage adds the UKMET and extended 12Z GFS. The long box
offers the European & Canadian global model, the US Navy NOGAPS page and the
U.Wash MM5. [The latter two are date-stamped, so javascript is used to figure
the URLs.] The GFS link connects to U.Wisconsin maps galore via another menu page. Click on the small-type links for side-by-side images for 5 and 10 days out, to see what each model is thinking! The MM5 link connects to U.Washington's Pacific Northwest model home page.
The second, banded table contains current conditions of all sorts.
- satellite loops from the NWS are followed by
- radar loops from sites
that currently do NOT use pop-up advervtising, then
- three links to
surface observations for the western US and part of Canada. The METAR link shows
current conditions in the region plus links to recent conditions; you can also
reach the Missoula NWS Interactive map here or via the "(map)", which can produce
reports from hundreds of Northwest weather stations!
- Three similar new sites follow with multi-state conditions; click a site to see what's
happening!
- Another NWS link follows, an interactive
forecast map with color-coded weather statements from the National Weather Service Western
Region HQ.
- The next two links use no-pop-up images from Penn State for 24-hour temperature change
(watch those warm & cold fronts move!) and 48hr precip forecasts for three models.
The next line includes links to
- a recent upper-air chart,
- western US snowpack
and precipitation for the water year, and
- higher-elevation weather cams for the Northwest.
Last but not least are links to the
- Hydrological Prediction Center, its
- weather maps, the
- expected rainfall for the next three days, and
- the 3-7 day weather
discussion. Also included is the Climate Prediction Center's
- 6-10 day and 8-14 day text forecasts.
I've moved the Portland-specific data to its own green box at the bottom of this section. Click on PDX for the NWS home page, or select radar, current / recent conditions, a summary of yesterday's weather, and a selection of Portland-centric satellite images.
Next comes the NWS regional data from the Interactive Weather Information
Network (IWIN). Click on 'IWIN data' for the national page for weather data
anywhere in the US. For detailed west-coast data, go further down to your
preferred state. Available data includes (cl)imate data, (hr)hourly conditions,
(zf)zone forecasts, (d)iscussion details, (!)NOWcast short-term forecasts,
(sp)ecial weather statements and (w)arnings. Since each state has different
forecast offices providing coverage, scroll down to find the spot you
seek. [For example, Oregon has three offices - Portland, Pendleton and Medford - plus
forecasts for SE Oregon come from Boise.] Many of these are cryptic, not
actually intended for non-geek readers - but some of us enjoy exactly that!
Last but not least, links at the end connect to British Columbia weather and
yesterday's precipitation totals for California (handy for Sierra hike feedback!).