Hello everybody out there! (bad Linus Torvalds riff) In meteorology there are a lot of online resources available freely to any user in the public domain, but sometimes they are hard to find and are buried in a load of other information. I hope to clear some of the confusion by providing a complete list of meteorology sites and data I have found useful.
Forecasting Webpages
1. NCAR's MetEd (COMET): https://www.meted.ucar.edu/
This site provides free training resources for those in operational weather forecasting and provides a great review of the qualitative concepts in meteorology as well as practical applications of research. This resource is the main training site for the National Weather Service (NWS). It's a great start to those who are new to the atmospheric sciences, as well as more the more experienced that believe they need a training supplement.
2. NCEP Model Page: http://mag.ncep.noaa.gov/NCOMAGWEB/appcontroller
This page is the standard for viewing computer models (such as the NAM and GFS). Although not as glitzy as TwisterData, it provides some parameters that can't be viewed on sites that aren't in house.
3. All in one MOS Data: http://twister.sbs.ohio-state.edu/main.php?pageloc=mos&stationloc=KSEA
This page automatically grabs Model Output Statistics (MOS) for each well known numerical model (NAM, GFS, GFSX etc). The default here from my bookmark is for Seattle, but just type the name of the station ID (K+airport code) to get MOS output.
4. Climate Prediction Center: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
CPC may seem like an odd choice for a forecasting site, but it has links to indices for most major atmospheric oscillations that affect North America and is useful for anticipating more long term patterns.
5. TwisterData: http://www.twisterdata.com/
One of the best model sites on the internet, and probably the best model webpage for storm chasing, which was developed under the TornadoVideos.Net sphere. Parameters such as CAPE, SRH, and EHI are readily available as well as a browser side model sounding feature which I find very useful. NAM, GFS, and the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model data can be viewed on this page.
6. High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) RUC Model: http://ruc.noaa.gov/hrrr/
A high resolution version of the RUC model that is extremely useful for nowcasting events and for storm chasing.
7. Bufkit Homepage: http://www.wbuf.noaa.gov/bufkit/bufkit.html
Homepage for the "Bufkit" application available for Windows OSs. A useful model sounding program that now includes ensemble models for forecast soundings. An extremely helpful tool for winter weather forecasting and severe weather.
8. RAP Real Time Weather: http://weather.rap.ucar.edu/
Useful webpage from UCAR that quickly grabs current observations of Radar, satellite, upper air, and the surface taken over North America.
9. The Oklahoma Mesonet: http://www.mesonet.org/
Website for the Oklahoma Mesonet, which is probably one of the best high density operational surface weather reporting networks in existence. If forecasting for Oklahoma this site is a real luxury and an essential starting point.
Linux and Other Computing Resources
Webpages of Several free Linux Distributions available for download:
1. Ubuntu (My current distribution): http://www.ubuntu.com/
2. Fedora: http://fedoraproject.org/
3. Linux Mint: http://www.linuxmint.com/
4. Debian: http://www.debian.org/
5. freeBSD: http://www.freebsd.org/
6. Slackware (for the more technically inclined): http://www.slackware.com/
Linux/Unix How to:
1. Ubuntu Forums: http://ubuntuforums.org/
Sign up here if you have an Ubuntu version of Linux to get free advice from other Linux geeks!
2. OU Unix Guide: http://som.ou.edu/computing/unixhelp/
I found this Unix guide mulling around the University of Oklahoma's Meteorology website. Linux is a derivative of the original Unix mainframe operating system from the 1960s and 70s and carries with it the same textual commands that interact with the system. I haven't gone through it much, but it's probably helpful to meteorology majors who are just getting their first taste of the Unix/Linux world.
GIS Resources:
1. ESRI (ArcGIS) homepage: http://www.esri.com/
2. Quantum GIS (free download): http://www.qgis.org/
3. MapWindow GIS (free download): http://www.mapwindow.org/
4. Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/index.html
Links to Various Research Resources & Initiatives
1. National Severe Storms Laboratory (I hope to work there one day ^-^): http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/
2. UNC Asheville's Reanalysis Plotter: http://facstaff.unca.edu/cgodfrey/reanalysis/reanalysis.shtml
3. The National Weather Center: http://nwc.ou.edu
4. CIMMS: http://cimms.ou.edu
