New Aviation Weather Center web page

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wsquare

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wsquare
Aviation Weather Center web site indicates the site is changing to a new version on October 16. It is possible to check out the new site by selecting the "beta" version link on the main web page. I have checked out the beta version, and unless I am missing something, this new version of the AWC web site appears to be worthless. Am I missing something? Is it time to shift over to Windy?
 
It's definitely harder to find things, but once you figure it out, it works really well on mobile (which I think was their main intent).

That being said...I use Windy. The app just gives me what I need a helluva' lot easier. I'll still check the AWC for prog charts, but even that I rarely do anymore.
 
I tried the AWC Beta... but I remain with Windy for all mid/long-term forecasts... and ForeFlight Imagery/Briefings for short-term.
 
wsquare said:
Aviation Weather Center web site indicates the site is changing to a new version on October 16. It is possible to check out the new site by selecting the "beta" version link on the main web page. I have checked out the beta version, and unless I am missing something, this new version of the AWC web site appears to be worthless. Am I missing something? Is it time to shift over to Windy?
Click to expand...

All the information is still there, just in a different presentation. I actually like the new format better because all the data appears to be in one place. With the old format, you had to go into different pages.
 
One of my favorite locations on the old AWC is “Hourly Weather Forecast”. Enter location of interest on home page. Select site from drop down menu, then select Hourly Weather Forecast under “More information”. Result is nice graphical forecast at hourly interval for an array of variables, with forecast set out to 6 days. Can’t find this product on the new Beta version. Anyone know if its there, or has it been dropped?
 
AWC is currently still working with the old format.

I don't like the new format either. Icing is hard to interpret. I can't locate the GOES satellite view with metar color coded airports.
 
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wsquare said:
One of my favorite locations on the old AWC is “Hourly Weather Forecast”. Enter location of interest on home page. Select site from drop down menu, then select Hourly Weather Forecast under “More information”. Result is nice graphical forecast at hourly interval for an array of variables, with forecast set out to 6 days. Can’t find this product on the new Beta version. Anyone know if its there, or has it been dropped?
Click to expand...
I too love the hourly weather forecast meteograms, they can be accessed via weather.gov.
There are also map views (I think of the same data) at graphical.weather.gov.
 
scottd said:
It's officially live now. With this new site, the AWC will be eliminating much of the "static" imagery in the future.

Right now, the static imagery being kept for a while is:
G-AIRMETs
SIGMETs
WPC Prog charts
SigWx charts
Icing (CIP/FIP)
Turbulence (GTG)
GFA static images (under /gfa/plot on the legacy website)
B&W Fax charts

Static images going away soon:
Lowest freezing level from the RAP
TCF, eTCF, ECFP
RAP/NAM Wind/Temp graphics
TAF plots
PIREP plots
METAR plots
Satellite regional plots
Vis/Fog satellite images
Radar regional plots
RCM radar plots

Of course, some of this imagery is encapsulated in the interactive map...which on my iPhone crashes every time when doing a pinch to zoom out gesture. The graphics section is really hard to use. Takes many clicks to get to the images you want to see without a lot of scrolling up/down...pretty much unusable. I will keep as many of the static images available on my site until they turn off the production of those...then I will build my own.
Click to expand...
Ugh, this sucks.
 
Yeah, I'll (have to) get used to the new version. But, the graphics won't play on my old iPad at all, so I guess that will not even serve as backup anymore. And, I bet there's hundreds (well, dozens anyway) of little airport/FBOs with an old slow desktop computer available for flight planning, that will now be SOL. These also tend to be out-of-the-way airports, where there may not be cell coverage.
 
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Here's the link for anyone that was wondering: https://aviationweather.gov/

I was going to complain about the products timescale slider being in UTC but happily found the toggle to local time in the settings.
Map Options->Map Format->toggle User Local Time
1697486845561.png
 
HEMS tool is gone. They say "The HEMS tool has been integrated into the interactive Graphical Forecasts for Aviation".

Not the same! Not nearly as useful.

Anybody have another weather site that I can put up on an unused monitor and leave up all day for quick local area weather checks?
 
So far I’m not a fan of the update

I’ll keep using windy and backup with adds data if needed
 
The sparseness of information makes this look like an experiment in process. Or something from the early days of the internet.

Is it the first of April? Did they fire all the employees and the last one out left a FU before turning out the lights?

I can't see how most people are going to go here for actual flight wx data anymore.
 
Designed and implemented by non-pilots, non-weatherheads, and non-users.

About the only way I used the old site was to query METARS en masse to get a sense of the local W.WA weather.

The new site changed the query format. Here's an example of the new query for raw data (METAR followed by TAFs): (substitute your own stations)

And here's tabular:

Aviation Weather Center

Raw and decoded airport observations
aviationweather.gov aviationweather.gov
 
Wow. Not many comments about this major change. I guess few people use it. Interesting.
 
I guess I'm a lil confused.....the only thing I really ever used awc for is the gfa tool. it looks to me as if the 'new' awc site is basically the gfa tool redesigned. but what I do use all the time is the nws forecast weather (https://www.weather.gov/) and the hourly graph others have mentioned, which is still there in it's prior unchanged format.
 
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I use the GFA every flight, along with windy. GFA is the only tool I’m aware of that displays turbulence forecast by level, and also has a decent icing forecast by level. As for the new format? Eh. It’s typical for users to ***** about anything that’s new and unfamiliar. Then after a few months it becomes familiar & all is forgiven. I do find the new text specification if gust factor to be horrible compared to the earlier black/red barb depiction.
 
With the old version I could save multiple tabs on my phones chrome browser depicting different AWC pages. I spent hours trying to do that with the new site and only achieved limited success. Information is harder to access and interpret.

Not happy at all with the new version. It makes me less safe in the air.
 
Domenick said:
Designed and implemented by non-pilots, non-weatherheads, and non-users.

About the only way I used the old site was to query METARS en masse to get a sense of the local W.WA weather.
Click to expand...
Same here. Google airport metar. Told me all I needed for a local flight. Now....NOT FOUND. Once on the site it's not bad. But getting there is an odyssey.
 
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Unless I missed it, the new site does not have the infrared satellite image in color. The color was indicative of cloud tops which I found very useful. If I did miss it, please let me know.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
It’s typical for users to ***** about anything that’s new and unfamiliar. Then after a few months it becomes familiar & all is forgiven.
Click to expand...
I have also found this to be true in most software or website updates. But why? Why the incessant need to change something that wasn't really broke? You could say because the government likes spending money and making people unhappy. But it's tech things in general. I'll figure it out...but why do I have to?
 
jbrrapa said:
Unless I missed it, the new site does not have the infrared satellite image in color. The color was indicative of cloud tops which I found very useful. If I did miss it, please let me know.
Click to expand...

AWC Graphical Forecast for Aviation

GFA provides a complete picture of weather that may impact flights in the United States and beyond
aviationweather.gov aviationweather.gov
Click weather tab > under forecast, click clouds > top right corner, click select active layers displayed > top checkbox listed as cloud cover, click cloud cover > click cloud top
 
FORANE said:

AWC Graphical Forecast for Aviation

GFA provides a complete picture of weather that may impact flights in the United States and beyond
aviationweather.gov aviationweather.gov
Click weather tab > under forecast, click clouds > top right corner, click select active layers displayed > top checkbox listed as cloud cover, click cloud cover > click cloud top
Click to expand...
Thanks.

The presentation is, IMHO, a poor substitute for the infrared satellite picture displayed on the old website.

I believe that the "new and improved" website is new but is certainly not improved.
 
At least it has dark mode...I don't how we lived without it.
 
jbrrapa said:
Thanks.

The presentation is, IMHO, a poor substitute for the infrared satellite picture displayed on the old website.

I believe that the "new and improved" website is new but is certainly not improved.
Click to expand...
Completely agree with you. I've been looking elsewhere to try and compensate for the AWC changes.
 
To me it looks like Windy.com, but designed by the government.
 
eman1200 said:
can anyone get a forecast from here? just error messages for me....

An error occurred while processing your request.
Reference #102.e6da0760.1698086899.edc6132a
Click to expand...
Seems to work fine on my OnePlus 10t.
 
AlleyCat67 said:
As for the new format? Eh. It’s typical for users to ***** about anything that’s new and unfamiliar. Then after a few months it becomes familiar & all is forgiven.
Click to expand...
Months have gone by; all is not forgiven.
I stand by my earlier comment that this change makes me less safe in the air.
 
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