MesoWest/RTMA in Google Earth Displays

Download and save to a local file the MesoWest/RTMA Google Earth kmz file to access surface weather observations from MesoWest and RTMA images of surface temperature, moisture, wind, and precipitation. The user can overlay RTMA images and animate them over the past 24 hours for the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Open that kmz file using Google Earth. By default, it will begin by loading the precipitation graphics for the continental U.S. Then, the user can select other RTMA images to display by selecting temperature, dew point temperature, or wind speed. You can also display the location of all surface observing stations presently available via MesoWest and by clicking on one of the station icons access the MesoWest database. All the images and station information are intended to auto update every hour.

Be sure to use the newest version of Google Earth (5.0 or greater). To change the animation speed, click the wrench on the right of the animation tool bar. You can also drag across the animation bar to view a particular hour or select individual hourly graphical images within the folders.

Don't activate the "Show Historical Imagery" option on the top menu- it will reset the time window.

Loading frames for the continental U.S. and Alaska can often be slow (you'll see the large reloading icon flash). If you are only interested in one region, turn the other regions off to speed loading of the images.

RTMA Images

• Hourly Real Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA) precipitation graphics from NCEP for the continental U.S. are displayed initially by default. More info
• RTMA analyses of temperature, dew point temperature, and wind speed for the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico are available. More Info. More graphics.