Where do you get your weather?

Skid

Skid

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Skid
More specifically, what sites or apps do you use?

Seems like a lot of the articles and forum posts are a couple years old now, and am curious if anyone has a weather site or app they really like.

Me personally:

1) windy.com - Love this site to get a big picture of what everything is doing especially multiple days out.
2) aviationweather.gov - Another good one to start getting a little more specific with aviation related weather graphics and planning.
3) duats.com - I always finish off my weather brief with this as more of the "official" briefing and to be in the system. Can get all the notams and textual information I need and have confidence they are correct.
 
Skyvector.com
Wunderground.com
Garmin Pilot
 
Pretty much only aviationweather.gov and the MyRadar app.
 
DUATS
Wunderground
And yes, telephone briefings! I know, so outdated and obsolete! I'm sure will be pointed out by someone...

Thanks for sharing Windy.com though. I had not heard of that one, just pulled it up and it seems pretty cool. I will mess around with it some more.
 
MyRadar Pro - the latest updates have improved aviation functionality
AvWxWorkshops.com - @scottd's system is really good at pulling many of the top and obscure weather products into one space
ForeFlight - Both the Graphical Brief and the latest feature updates in the Aiports Tab
Flight Service - https://www.lmfsweb.afss.com
Weather Underground
rucsoundings.noaa.gov - Skew T diagrams
 
Where do we get our weather? Mostly the Pacific. Mostly the northwest but also a lot from the southwest this year. Sometimes it's from Canada but that's usually only in the winter.

Any other questions?
 
windsock.jpg
 
AggieMike88 said:
windsock.jpg
Click to expand...
Youse guys laugh.....some parts of Wyoming are just a bit windier than others. The upside is that it makes it very easy to make the first turn-off from the runway....and sometimes that turn-off is at the threshold.
 
I start with either Foreflight or aviationweather.gov. Then I move onto this chart from weather.gov, mostly because their wind gust predictions seem to be spot on...

chart2.jpg


Right before flight I still call a briefer, because you never know what random thing you maybe missed... like the fact that there may be "rocket launches 15 nm east of course that could look like missiles" (my favorite recent briefing!)
 
Skid said:
More specifically, what sites or apps do you use?

Seems like a lot of the articles and forum posts are a couple years old now, and am curious if anyone has a weather site or app they really like.

Me personally:

1) windy.com - Love this site to get a big picture of what everything is doing especially multiple days out.
2) aviationweather.gov - Another good one to start getting a little more specific with aviation related weather graphics and planning.
3) duats.com - I always finish off my weather brief with this as more of the "official" briefing and to be in the system. Can get all the notams and textual information I need and have confidence they are correct.
Click to expand...

ForeFlight
 
If my flying is a few days out, I will go to www.usairnet.com Otherwise, I start with Foreflight. If there are any questions, or it's a cross country trip, I go to aviationweather.com, I may check the skew-Ts if cloud heights and tops are at issue, and confirm everything with a phone call to 1800WXBRIEF.

It's nice if to file your flight plan in Foreflight and then call 1800WXBrief and ask for a standard briefing for the flight plan associated with my cell phone number.
 
Foreflight and 1800wxbrief.gov.
Have my students call the briefer. These guys seem so desperate to talk to people lately.
 
AOAP flight planner to see where to go that's interesting
My radar-Where are the storms?
aviationweather.gov-what's the prog chart look like and do I have "green lights" for my trip
Duats-for the winds and to make it safe and legal
 
Cajun_Flyer said:
Right before flight I still call a briefer, because you never know what random thing you maybe missed... like the fact that there may be "rocket launches 15 nm east of course that could look like missiles" (my favorite recent briefing!)
Click to expand...
That reminds me. There is a place south and a little west of Wichita KS (near Yoder I believe) that hosts amateur rocket launches. Some of these rockets get up in the flight levels. They do get a TFR for the launches so it's easy to pick up when prepping for a flight. Anyway the TFR was active when I passed by one time but didn't get to see a launch.
 
>10 days:magic 8 ball
4-10days: weather.gov, especially the forecast discussion section. Wunderground has largely the same info but sometimes a little easier to read.
1-3days: aviationweather.gov
0 day: FSS either through DUATS or phone, sometimes both. And skyvector to get a graphical representation to confirm what I think I already know (too bad GFA doesn't have TFRs).
 
TommyG said:
Foreflight and 1800wxbrief.gov.
Have my students call the briefer. These guys seem so desperate to talk to people lately.
Click to expand...

The briefers get their weather from aviationweater.gov and with all the weather products online and in the plane now their function is largely obsolete. The only time I call them is when forced to by the FAA for ferry permits.
 
On the ground, aviationweather.gov and ForeFlight's briefing capabilities. If I need anything more in depth like a SkewT, I use the links people already posted.

In the air, I still call Flight Service if there's been a change in plans (happens sometimes).
 
I was going to say most of it comes from Alabama, but you were wanting to know what weather forecasts I was using...
 
citizen5000 said:
Wunderground.com
Click to expand...
I'm glad I'm not the only one... I find it to be remarkably accurate actually, especially on the extended Outlook

Foreflight I use as much as I can for their charts, and also weather.gov

But to be honest, even if it seems "studenty" I always call the briefer just in case I missed something, etc.

One thing I wish was better though was ceiling forecasts. That's probably very hard to accurately predict and report, but how cool would it be if you knew it would be overcast and 10 mile vis but ceilings were going to be high enough to still do you your XC

P.S. - we inherited an antique barometer that I try and update daily, it's a neat "hobby"
 
Foreflight, Garmin Pilot and WingX are all basically getting the same weather sources...via DUATS or Leidos (Lockheed-Martin), so there is little difference. In IFR training, I've found usairnet.com to be uncannily accurate for cloud cover. From home or an FBO with a computer, I still use DUATs to brief and file. Any other location with WiFi, I use my tablet App's briefing. It's all coming from the same sources anyway (NWS).
 
Tantalum said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one... I find it to be remarkably accurate actually, especially on the extended Outlook
Foreflight I use as much as I can for their charts, and also weather.gov
Click to expand...

You and I seem to share a lot of the same approaches to flying. Skyvector.com has a new weather radar with higher sampling rates called MRSM. It is remarkably accurate and and shows cloud temps too. They also have Sat IR4. And their flight log gen does a nice job using forecasted winds aloft. Wish Skyvector.com had a tablet version. I would use them no matter what the price.
 
Use some of the same that are listed above.
In addition, I have to drive almost an hour to the airport where I am taking lessons, so I use these to try and find spots on the schedule that aren't overly gusty for ma skillz.
Also have the local ATIS numbers on my phone that I can dial for a quickie when I'm heading out.
that's a long drive home when it's a no go.

www.windalert.com Also has the phone app, which I like better. Nice layout.
www.windfinder.com
 
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Windy, Wunderground, Meteoblue, 1800WXBRIEF, and aviationweather. Unfortunately my EFB app of choice has weather that stinks so I don't start there.
 
Skid said:
More specifically, what sites or apps do you use?

Seems like a lot of the articles and forum posts are a couple years old now, and am curious if anyone has a weather site or app they really like.

Me personally:

1) windy.com - Love this site to get a big picture of what everything is doing especially multiple days out.
2) aviationweather.gov - Another good one to start getting a little more specific with aviation related weather graphics and planning.
3) duats.com - I always finish off my weather brief with this as more of the "official" briefing and to be in the system. Can get all the notams and textual information I need and have confidence they are correct.
Click to expand...

www.aviationweather.gov/gfa
 
Tantalum said:
I'm glad I'm not the only one... I find it to be remarkably accurate actually, especially on the extended Outlook

Foreflight I use as much as I can for their charts, and also weather.gov

But to be honest, even if it seems "studenty" I always call the briefer just in case I missed something, etc.

One thing I wish was better though was ceiling forecasts. That's probably very hard to accurately predict and report, but how cool would it be if you knew it would be overcast and 10 mile vis but ceilings were going to be high enough to still do you your XC

P.S. - we inherited an antique barometer that I try and update daily, it's a neat "hobby"
Click to expand...

www.aviationweather.gov/gfa On the home page, click on Clouds and Forecasts...you can select bases, top, or percentage coverage.

Bob
 
Windows.... mostly the bathroom window.... in the morning if I can see the mountains, I could go flying...
 
bobmrg said:
www.aviationweather.gov/gfa On the home page, click on Clouds and Forecasts...you can select bases, top, or percentage coverage.

Bob
Click to expand...

I like a lot of the data on GFA, but I find using the SkewT to give a better idea of cloud bases and tops, plus layers. The format on the GFA just doesn't do layered clouds justice.
 
citizen5000 said:
Skyvector.com has a new weather radar with higher sampling rates called MRSM. It is remarkably accurate and and shows cloud temps too. They also have Sat IR4. And their flight log gen does a nice job using forecasted winds aloft. Wish Skyvector.com had a tablet version.
Click to expand...
Thanks I will check that out. I used to use Skyvector a lot a while ago but then with Foreflight I haven't used them in maybe ever years? The cloud temps would be great to have once IR. The lack of a tablet version seems odd...

citizen5000 said:
I would use them no matter what the price.
Click to expand...
Be careful, someone from Skyvector might read this and get some ideas!
 
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