NOTICE: I have tested these software programs and have not experienced any problems; however, I do not take any responsibility for possible problems arising from these programs.
All of the programs below are available free of charge. The links for each program point to the each site's download source. Links to the program's homepage are also included in the program description. The pros and cons section are based on my personal experience with the program. Be sure to read the install manuals on the programs' respective websites for further information.
*All links last tested on: May 7, 2009*
BUFKIT 2: (Windows 3.90mb) "BUFKIT is a forecast profile visualization and analysis tool kit developed by the staff at the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Buffalo and the Warning Decision Training Branch (WDTB) in Norman, OK" (NWS). Need to download ActiveTCL to run BUFKIT properly. Bufkit data files are here.
Pros: Powerful program for research purposes.
Cons: Substantial learning curve with program. Be sure to read the user's manual.
Requirements: Windows. Memory usage: ~22mb.
Developed by: NWS. Homepage.
Forecastbar Enhanced 0.9.6: (Firefox 429kb) An add-on for the FireFox web browser that displays local weather conditions.
Pros: Small and useful. Animated radar and satellite.
Cons: Sometimes slow at updating current conditions. Can also slow down the loading of Firefox
Requirements: Mozilla FireFox 1.5-3.0.5
Developed by: Jon Stritar and Richard Klien. Homepage.
GEMPACK 5.11.1: (Solaris 218.33mb)(Linux 204.59mb)(Macintosh 239.90mb) "GEMPAK is an analysis, display, and product generation package for meteorological data. It is used at National Centers for producing operational forecast and analysis products" (Unidata). I have not been able to test this program. You may have to register (for free) to download this file. FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Requirements: Solaris, Linux (Fedora Core), or Macintosh. Memory usage: N/A.
Developed by: Unidata. Homepage.
Halosim 3.0: (Windows 2.83mb) A simulation program for optical effects in the atmosphere.
Pros: Slim and low memory usage.
Cons: Slight learning curve to the program.
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, ME, XP, or Vista. Memory usage: ~10mb.
Developed by: L Cowley & M Schroeder Atmospheric Optics. Homepage.
IDV 2.6 Update 2: (Windows 69.57mb)(Macintosh 55.15mb)(Linux 78.37mb)(Solaris 73.33mb) "The Integrated Data Viewer (IDV) from Unidata is a Java(TM)-based software framework for analyzing and visualizing geoscience data. The IDV brings together the ability to display and work with satellite imagery, gridded data, surface observations, balloon soundings, NWS WSR-88D Level II and Level III RADAR data, and NOAA National Profiler Network data, all within a unified interface" (Unidata). This is by far my favorite weather program. You may have to register (for free) to download this file.
Pros: Access to an amazing number of images from various sources.
Cons: Requires the Java applet. Requires a huge amount of memory.
Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, and Vista; Macintosh OS X 10.3.1 or later; Linux Fedora Core 4,5,6; Solaris 9 or later. Processor Speed: 1.2GHz. DirectX 9.0 (Windows). Java 2 1.4 and 1.5. Java 3D. Disk Space: 100+mb. Memory usage: 100mb-1.50GB.
Developed by: Unidata. Homepage.
IRIS 2.0: (Windows 1.64mb) A simulation program for glorys, coronas, and fogbows.
Pros: Slim and low memory usage. Excellent graphics.
Cons: None
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, ME, XP, or Vista. Memory usage: ~5mb.
Developed by: Les Cowley Atmospheric Optics. Homepage.
McIDAS-X 2008: (Files needed for Windows XP Install)(Files needed for Linux Install) "The Man computer Interactive Data Access System (McIDAS) is a large, research quality suite of applications used for decoding, analyzing, and displaying meteorological data for research and education. The software can be used with conventional observational, satellite, and grid-point data" (Unidata) I have not been able to test this program. You may have to register (for free) to download this file. FOR ADVANCED USERS ONLY
Pros: N/A
Cons: N/A
Requirements: Windows XP* or Linux (Fedora Core). Memory usage: N/A. (*Requires a special Linux terminal program to run the program)
Developed by: Unidata. Homepage.
Severe Plot 2.5: (Windows 7.90mb) A historical severe weather report plotting tool for those interested in plotting trends in severe weather patterns, or for anyone interested in past severe weather events. Must download an update package with the latest severe weather report info. NOTE: The SPC has discontinued updates for the program as of 2006. A new online version of SeverePlot is available at: http://www.spc.nssl.noaa.gov/climo/online/sp3/plot.php.
Pros: Slim, low memory and CPU usage. Excellent data coverage from 1950 to 2006.
Cons: Need to download an update package each year.
Requirements: Windows 95, 98, NT 4.0, 2000, ME, XP, or Vista. Memory usage: ~10mb.
Developed by: John Hart NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Homepage.
StormWarn 1.2: (Windows 819kb) A program that downloads live weather advisories issued by the NWS and runs them on a ticker on the bottom of your computer monitor, much like a TV would display warnings.
Pros: Low CPU usage, very customizable for such a small program.
Cons: Slightly high memory usage, even when in standby.
Requirements: Windows. Memory usage: ~30mb.
Developed by: Dave Kramer. Homepage.
Weather Watcher Live 6.0.11: (Windows 4.11mb) A desktop weather application similar to WeatherBug, but without ads or fancy graphics. Displays current weather, forecasts, radar, satellite, and notifies you of severe weather warnings.
Pros: Slim, very low memory and CPU usage
Cons: None
Requirements: Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, or Vista and an active internet connection. Memory usage: ~10mb.
Developed by: Singer's Creations. Homepage.
WeatherScope 1.7.0: (Windows 2.90mb)(Macintosh 5.30mb) A freestanding program that can plot multiple images and data points (radar, temperatures, winds, etc.) over a given area.
Pros: Outstanding radar detail and a wide variety of products to overlay.
Cons: Can become very sluggish when looping images and data points. Updating frequency is not the best. Memory usage is slightly high.
Requirements: Windows or Macintosh and an active internet connection. Memory usage depends on number of overlays--can range from 10mb-70mb.
Developed by: Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Homepage.
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