About WeatherSigma

WeatherSigma is a full-featured weather modeling and analytics site focused on the meteorology of the Western US. It was created by operational forecasters, academic researchers, and software engineers from the Pacific Northwest, and it seeks to help weather hobbyists and professional meteorologists more comprehensively analyze and forecast the weather of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. 

Unlike the Central and Eastern U.S., the Western US is dominated by terrain. This terrain creates many localized yet critically important weather features that can be easily glossed over in synoptic-scale modeling. WeatherSigma was designed to fill this gap - to include specific visualizations of the most important metrics for forecasting the weather of the Pacific Northwest, while still including numerous synoptic-scale charts for high-level analysis of the North American continent and beyond.  

Weather maps

WeatherSigma creates a variety of synoptic-scale and mesoscale maps from publicly-available model data sources. Current synoptic-scale maps include the ECMWF, GFS, CMC, and mesoscale maps include the HRRR and NAM. Synoptic-scale maps cover the entire world and mesoscale maps focus over the United States, with a particular focus on the Pacific Northwest.

 

Data Sources

WeatherSigma uses publicly available model data from the NOAA Operational Model Archive Distribution System (NOMADS), the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the Meteorological Service of Canada (etc. etc.). WeatherSigma uses publicly available observational data from the National Climatic Data Center, the National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration, NOAA's U.S. Climate Reference Network, the National Interagency Fire Center, the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP), the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the National Data Buoy Center, Environment Canada, and various transportation networks across the United States.