Per discussion on 3740 kHz on a recent morning, here are a few of my favorite websites for weather radar information:
- National Weather Service - Southern Mississippi Valley Sector
This one provides a nice quick overview of my region to see what is in nearby states. Other sectors can be selected, along with a full national view. You can click on the word Loop to animate any sector view over a 70-minute interval. By clicking on any city you will be taken to the nearest local radar view, such as this view for Mobile. Various controls are available there, and radar animation can be activated for a 40-minute loop. The animation requires JAVA to load since it is a JAVA applet. Since the NWS is funded by us taxpayers, there are no ads.
- Weather Underground's WunderMap - To reach your local view go to the home page, enter your zip code in the Search box near top of page and click Go. On the resulting page you will find lots of information and map displays. Below the little radar thumbnail you'll find links for Local Radar, Hi Def Radar, WunderMap, etc. Click on the WunderMap link. The resulting display shows radar information and Weather station markers that you can click for local conditions at those sites. You can un-check the Weather stations box in the Map Controls section under the map if you want to simplify the display. There you can also find a Start link for animating the radar display. Additional options are available under Radar Options. You can
- zoom in or out easily using the + and - buttons on the upper left side of the radar map
- pan using the arrow buttons or by click and drag on the map
- select the Map, Satellite, Hybrid, or Terrain view
- StrikeStar lightning map
This site displays lightning activity over the past 60 minutes or a 24-hour summary across the USA. Regional views (e.g. Southeast) can be selected to show a better view close to your current location. Color coding of the data display is defined near the upper right side of the map.
