The latest weather buzz

Weather updates from site founder Brian Gaze that keep you in the know.

Back to the front office

I haven't been around much recently, but it's been a busy autumn behind the scenes at TWO! Since autumn is typically our slowest time of year, it's the perfect opportunity to schedule development and launch new features and updates. So what's been happening?

3D Earth Weather Forecast

This amazing feature launched in September and has undergone a series of improvements in recent weeks. 3D Earth Weather Forecast (EWF) displays animations of forecast variables, such as temperature, jet stream, and precipitation, generated using data from medium-range models like GFS, GEM, and ECMWF.

The displayed globe is zoomable and can be rotated. It's all web based so there's no requirement to download and install an app. 

Another nifty feature is the ability to click anywhere on the globe to view the weather forecast for that specific location.

It works well on all device sizes, though I personally think the bold colors and wide coverage area are best experienced on a big screen. 3D EWF requires a donation (see Advert free access on our website) and login, and can be accessed here:

3D Earth Weather Forecast

Global forecast coverage

The auto suggest which enables forecast location selection has been upgraded. It's now much easier to find towns and cities around the globe. That's not the only improvement. The resolution of the forecast grid has been increased, making the database about 500% larger. This means that when you select a global location, the grid point used will always be as close or closer than before.

Extremes range on hourly forecasts

Hour by hour forecasts for UK locations now have a Range option which can be toggled on and off. This option casts a wider net to identify higher and lower temperatures, stronger wind gusts, and heavier precipitation rates in surrounding areas. Why? Even with the best available model data, short range forecasts still have inherent uncertainty. By looking further afield errors can be mitigated and the potential for more severe weather conditions highlighted. 

The extremes feature has been left as an option to switch on because some people may prefer just to see the existing hourly forecast format.

Forecast timelines and guidance

The 16 day and hourly forecasts can now be switched into timeline mode. The timeline view provides a great way of quickly looking for trends and possible extremes. 

The option to switch to timeline view is under the main panel section on hourly and 16 day forecasts. You can of course switch back to the Classic view at any time.

There's also a new Guidance section which summarises the key aspects of the forecast. It is automatically displayed under the main panel. 

GFS hourly charts

Charts generated using data from the Global Forecast System (GFS) have long been available on TWO. However, they were stepped at 3 hour intervals, for example 12:00, 15:00, 18:00 etc. Now, charts have been added that provide hourly forecasts from 1 to 120 hours ahead. They use slightly different projections and colour palettes to enhance readability.

The hourly charts can be accessed here:

GFS hourly chart viewer

Like 3D EWF they require a donation and login to view. However, a spin off from the new hourly charts was an upgrade to the existing GFS charts. The 240 to 384 hours ahead section of the run is now using higher resolution data sets than previously. The main difference is the precipitation charts are less blocky and there are more points showing temperatures, wind gusts etc. 

So there we have it!

Most of the major development work for this cycle is now complete. Therefore, I'm intending to spend more time in the front office than back office in the coming weeks. I'll be launching new video forecast formats to complement the existing 14 Day UK Weather Forecast. Also, expect more frequent Buzz updates as the chase for snow gets underway in the coming weeks.

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