I have been fascinated by weather since the days when I was learning to ride a bike. I’m equally fascinated by the methods with which meteorologists use to stay in-tune with what Mother Nature is doing. I’ve bookmarked no less than fifty websites that depict my local forecast and that of family members, storm watches and warnings, and various radar maps, but have never been so impressed by a site like I have been with a recent finding.
WeatherBonk (weatherbonk.com) allows you to view real time weather details in the form of a map. You choose the city and State and Weather Bonk returns your query with a detailed map, highlighting current temperatures in that region. The data displayed by Weather Bonk comes from a variety of credible sources, including personal weather stations, Citizen Weather Station, Weather Underground, Weather Bug and the National Weather Service. The combined information provides you with a true to life look at any area of the globe. Weather Bonk uses the popular Google earth maps to hone in on specific regions and show you some pretty specific details about the conditions of that area.
Want to know or even see more? No problem! With Weather Bonk, you can click on any of the weather “points,” that is to say a specific region where weather data has been collected from, and Weather Bonk will give you current wind speeds and direction, humidity levels, storm watches and warnings, travel conditions, and more in a small, pop-up window. Since Weather Bonk provides a regional outlook by default, you can easily compare your weather with that of those hundreds of miles away from you. That makes for easier traveling for those of us who often become snow bound during the winter months!
One of the greatest features of Weather Bonk is the inclusion of webcams. When performing your initial search, you’re allowed to also choose whether you’d like to view local webcams. Weather Bonk then hones in on live camera feeds, as well as weather stations, so you can see weather close-up! Webcams featured are often linked to a local weather station, TV station, or personal weather observers. Just this weekend, our area suffered a huge snowstorm and I was concerned about traveling with several small children to my parent’s home a few hours north of my own. I was able to look at Weather Bonk, get the forecast, and view exactly what the Interstate traffic and conditions looked like in real time. Amazing!
Much like the way Google Earth operates, Weather Bonk also allows users to click on any area of the map and refocus their outlook. For example, last weekend I first gathered my own forecast and weather conditions and then, continued to click on different areas of the Interstate to see where conditions were at their worst, and what the future outlook was for those regions. Each time I made a mouse “click,” the map would refocus, and hone in on that specific region. By using a directional guide on the far right side of Weather Bonk’s site, I could then return to my original view or any other area I wanted to see. Weather Bonk allows your view to be as narrow or wide as you choose, so you can easily see your entire State’s weather and forecast or only that of your neighborhood.
Since using this site, I’ve pared my weather related bookmarks down to just one website: WeatherBonk.com. Take it from an amateur weather buff, this site makes for smooth sailing!
Rating: 10