Ballooning > Weather > USA

• BalloonCast: Weather for Hot Air Balloon Pilots - Balloon pilot weather forecast and current conditions. See multiple locations all on one page, including radar and winds aloft. All codes translated to English, all times local. Designed specifically for balloon pilots.
  
   
• Remote Automated Weather Sensor Tutorial - There's a giant network of government weather stations out there that aren't part of the aviation system. This brief online course tells how to find and use their data online. Free course narrated by Bill Hughes of Liberty Balloon School.
  
   
• Sunrise Sunset Calculator by NOAA - Online service determines sunrise and sunset for anywhere in the world for any date in both local time and UTC. Be sure to check the daylight savings box if desired. Can use nearest city or latitude and longtitude. Links to look up lat/long from zipcodes.
  
   
• Susan Genett's Real Weather - Knowledgable weather consultants advise pilots on special flights. Forecasting for long jumps, trans-oceanic flights, balloon races and festivals, and gas ballooning. The head forecaster is also a balloon pilot!
  
   
• US National Lightning by Intellicast.com - This map depicts where lightning strikes have occurred in the United States between 30 and 60 minutes ago. The strikes are color coded based on when they occurred.
  
   
• Boston, MA: Intellicast Regional Weather Radar Summary - Latest Boston Radar Summary Image depicting radar data with individual storm information. Annotations include the height of each storm, it's speed and direction of movement, and the type of severe storm (i.e. MESO, HAIL, TVS, etc.).
  
   
• CRWS Jet Stream Map Menu - Jet Stream Analyses and Forecasts at 300 mb with maps, forecasts, and looping images. Easy to use menu.
  
   
• Cloud Types: common cloud classifications - Explanations and pictures help you understand and recognize the sky overhead.
  
   
• GSBA Weather Page - Weather resources for balloonists.
  
   
• Jetstream Forecast Map - MRF Forecast of 200mb Winds and Divergence. Jetstream forecast for the northern hemisphere in easy to follow map format.
  
   
• National Weather Service HomePage - Extensive US weather resource. The source for your current OFFICIAL WEATHER WARNINGS, OBSERVATIONS, and FORECASTS. Satellite Imagery of weather activity in the Eastern U.S. and the Western U.S. Regional weather sites also.
  
   
• Unisys Weather - Current US satellite image and surface map (background is elevation relief). Combines radar, satellite, pressure gradients and more all on one map. You can click on map for forecasts.
  
   
• Winds Aloft Forecasts (FD) - Official US winds aloft forecasts for 6, 12, and 24 hour intervals. Produced by the Aviation Weather Center. Includes Alaska.
  
   
• Doppler Radar - U.S. National - The Weather Channel - Weather.com, current US doppler radar map provided by the Weather Channel. Access to other radar maps.
  
   
• GTE DUATS on the Web - Official online weather briefings. US pilots may use DUATS instead of calling Flight Service. Complete source of aviation weather observations and forecasts.
  
   
• Links to Maximum related sites - Collection of sites posting weather info to the web, and the software that does it. Several software vendors, including one that publishes live weather over ham radio. Also a list of companies selling the software and hardware.
  
   
• Subsidence Inversions & Their Effect on Ballooning - This paper is a brief discussion of atmospheric temperature inversions and their recognition and application in lighter-than-air flight. By Harold Maybeck, meteorologist at Plymouth State College.
  
   
• The Weather Channel - Home Page - Weather.com offers forecasts for over 1600 cities worldwide as well as numerous radar and satellite maps. From the latest weather news stories to allergy information, The Weather Channel web site is a complete source of weather information.
  
   
• Beyond the Forecast weather video - A CBS TV station video for the "Beyond the Forecast" weather series, starring Colin Graham of Roanoke, Virginia. The graphics show how a balloon rises and descends to change direction that are very well done, tieing into how these same winds also steer clouds and storms.