Methodology

Philosophy

CurrentWeather.info is built on three principles:

• Provenance: Always show where data comes from.
• Honesty: Distinguish observations from forecasts, models from measurements.
• Respect: No ads, no tracking, no bloat.

Data Sources

National Weather Service (NWS)

NWS provides authoritative weather observations and forecasts for the United States. We use:

• Observations: Real-time data from NOAA weather stations (temperature, humidity, wind, pressure, visibility).
• Forecasts: Official NWS forecast text, hourly predictions, and multi-day outlooks.
• Alerts: Live weather warnings, watches, and advisories.
• Radar: NOAA NEXRAD base reflectivity via ESRI tile service.

NWS data is prioritized when available. Observations are fresher and more reliable than model output for current conditions.

Open-Meteo

Open-Meteo is an open-source weather API aggregating global numerical weather prediction models. We use:

• Current conditions: When NWS observations are unavailable or stale.
• Forecasts: Hourly and multi-day predictions globally (GFS, ECMWF, ICON models).
• Air quality: Particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), gases (NO₂, SO₂, O₃, CO), UV index, and pollen forecasts.
• Atmospheric data: Visibility, cloud cover, dewpoint, apparent temperature, precipitation probability.

Open-Meteo fills gaps outside the US and provides model-based forecasts for comparison.

RainViewer

RainViewer aggregates global precipitation radar data. We display:

• Live radar: Animated precipitation intensity maps (past 2 hours, future 30 minutes).
• Coverage: NOAA NEXRAD (US), Environment Canada (Canada), and composite radar for other regions.

RainViewer radar is shown alongside NOAA radar for cross-reference and broader coverage.

BigDataCloud

Reverse geocoding service to convert GPS coordinates into human-readable location names. Used only for location display — no weather data.

Hybrid Observation + Model Logic

CurrentWeather.info uses a tiered fallback system to ensure data freshness and accuracy:

1. NWS Observations (Preferred): If an NWS station report is less than 90 minutes old, we use it for current conditions.
2. Open-Meteo Current (Fallback): If NWS data is stale or unavailable, we fall back to Open-Meteo's model-based current conditions.
3. Provenance Badges: Every data point is labeled with its source (NWS, Open-Meteo, or Hybrid) so you know exactly what you're seeing.

This approach prioritizes ground-truth observations while maintaining global coverage and freshness.

Freshness & Caching

Weather data is cached client-side to minimize API load and improve responsiveness:

• Current conditions: Cached for 10 minutes. Background refresh every 15 minutes when tab is active.
• Forecasts: Cached for 30 minutes. Forecasts change slowly; aggressive polling is wasteful.
• Radar: Live-streamed with 5–10 minute refresh intervals (depends on RainViewer and NOAA update cadence).
• Alerts: Polled every 5 minutes to ensure timely warnings.

Stale data is marked with a timestamp so you always know how current the information is.

No Ads, No Tracking

CurrentWeather.info is ad-free and tracker-free by design. We do not:

• Use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, or any third-party analytics.
• Set cookies (except ephemeral session storage for map state).
• Collect IP addresses, location history, or personal data.
• Monetize through affiliate links or sponsored content.

Your location is processed locally in your browser. API requests to NWS, Open-Meteo, and RainViewer are direct — we do not proxy or log them.

See our Privacy Policy for details.

Open-Source Foundations

CurrentWeather.info is built with open-source tools and APIs:

• React: UI framework for reactive, component-based design.
• Leaflet: Interactive map library for radar and location display.
• Vite: Fast, modern build tool for optimal performance.
• Open-Meteo API: Free, open-source weather data aggregator.

We stand on the shoulders of giants and contribute back through transparent methodology and public documentation.

Future Enhancements

Planned improvements (no timeline commitments):

• Satellite imagery integration (visible/IR channels).
• Lightning strike data (real-time CG/IC detection).
• Enhanced storm tracking and mesoscale analysis.
• Offline-first PWA with cached forecasts and radar loops.

All enhancements will maintain our core principles: provenance, honesty, and respect.

Technical Details

For engineering-level implementation details, see RealWeather.org (technical sister site).

For user-facing updates and feature announcements, see our Changelog.