Weather Now Available in Google Earth
Weather-obsessed people like pilots and surf bums will now be able to see the latest weather maps on Google Earth. In order to see it, enable the clouds layer, and zoom to the spot that you want to see (or do that in reverse order, it doesn’t matter). Precipitation data is only available in areas of North America and Europe at the moment, although this being Google, you know the rest is coming.
This latest improvement to Google Earth puts all of the powers of the weatherman – scant though they may be – into your hands. What will you do with this unimaginable power? We’re betting major life events like putting on and taking off sweaters.
The article is thin and misses the new feature: the rain (and snow, if there were any) is animated. Fly in to a raining area and you’ll see raindrops.
As far as old-style animated radar, Google Earth weather has had that for a while. Click on the information link under weather in the LHP and you’ll get a link to the last 6 hours of radar and 24 hours of clouds, animatable via the time slider.
I still prefer radar from wunderground – updated every 5-7 minutes, 6 frame radar, HD radar stations, customizable zooming, and storm tracks. The fact that Google Earth doesn’t have warnings or animated radar is kind of limiting, but then again, I kind of doubt that Google is aiming for those features.
Wow, no way dude, too cool!
Lou
wasn’t this feature already available on Google Earth?
I am AMAZED at the number of people who are weather crazed. Where I work I see people looking at weather maps all the time. Me? I couldn’t care less.