The Weather Prediction Center -- part of the National Weather Service -- has archived surface weather maps available to download. For getting a few maps, visiting the Weather Prediction Center site works quite well, wpc-map can download maps for a period of time, the last week for example. Maps are downloaded from the WPC's Surface Analysis Archive page.
- Install Python 3.6 or greater on your system that is available for download from python.org.
- Open wpc_map in your browser.
- Click the green Cone or download button to download the wpc_map package.
- Expand the archive file into its own folder.
- Install the required python packages by entering
pip install -r expanded-zip-folder/wpc_map-master/requirements.txt
. - To run enter
python expanded-zip-folder/wpc_map-master/wpc_map/cli.py -h
to get help on how to run this application.
There is more help available at Python's Installing Packages page.
wpc_map is a command line tool implemented in Python. Examples of how to run it are provided here. It also so built in help that is available from the command line.
$ python wpc_map.py -h
Usage: wpc_map.py [OPTIONS]
Downloads and saves a series of weather maps from the Weather Prediction
Centers Surface Analysis Archive.
One map of each type will be downloaded for every date and time specified.
:param start_date: Starting data and time (inclusive)
:param end_date: Stopping date and time (inclusive)
:param period: Hours between subsequent maps, first map is always 00Z. Valid values are: 3, 6, 12, or 24.
:param maps: Valid map types include following strings:
namussfc Unites States (CONUS)
usfntsfc United States (Fronts/Analysis Only)
print_us United States (B/W)
ussatsfc U.S. Analysis/Satellite Composition
radsfcus_exp U.S. Analysis/Radar Composition
namfntsfc North America (Fronts/Analysis Only)
satsfcnps North America Analysis/Satellite Composition
:param map_dir: Folder used to store the downloaded map files
Options:
-s, --start_date TEXT Starting date as YYYY-MM-DD or YYYYMMDD
format.
-e, --end_date TEXT Ending date as YYYY-MM-DD or YYYYMMDD format
-p, --period [3|6|12|24] Hours between subsequent maps (3, 6, 12,
24). First map is always 00Z. The period
default is 24.
-m, --maps [namussfc|usfntsfc|print_us|ussatsfc|radsfcus_exp|namfntsfc|satsfcnps]
Type(s) of surface weather maps to download.
Repeat this option to specify several
different types of maps.
-d, --map_dir TEXT Directory to store downloaded maps. Defaults
to ~/Desktop/Wpc_Maps and the path is
normalized for operating system.
-h, --help Show this message and exit.
$ python cli.py -s 2017-07-04 -e 2017-07-04 -m namussfc
[####################################] 100%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_namussfc.gif
$ python cli.py -s 2017-07-04 -e 2017-07-04 -m namussfc -m print_us -m ussatsfc
[############------------------------] 33%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_namussfc.gif
[########################------------] 66% 0d 00:00:04
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_print_us.gif
[####################################] 100%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_ussatsfc.gif
$ python cli.py -s 2017-07-04 -e 2017-07-04 -p 6 -m satsfcnps
[#########---------------------------] 25%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_satsfcnps.gif
[##################------------------] 50% 0d 00:00:07
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_06z_satsfcnps.gif
[###########################---------] 75% 0d 00:00:04
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_12z_satsfcnps.gif
[####################################] 100%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_18z_satsfcnps.gif
$ python cli.py -s 2017-07-04 -e 2017-07-07 -p 12 -m namussfc
[####--------------------------------] 12%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_namussfc.gif
[#########---------------------------] 25% 0d 00:00:18
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_12z_namussfc.gif
[#############-----------------------] 37% 0d 00:00:18
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170705_00z_namussfc.gif
[##################------------------] 50% 0d 00:00:15
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170705_12z_namussfc.gif
[######################--------------] 62% 0d 00:00:13
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170706_00z_namussfc.gif
[###########################---------] 75% 0d 00:00:10
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170706_12z_namussfc.gif
[###############################-----] 87% 0d 00:00:05
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170707_00z_namussfc.gif
[####################################] 100%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170707_12z_namussfc.gif
$ python cli.py -s 2017-07-04 -e 2017-07-07 -p 12 -m namussfc
[####--------------------------------] 12%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_00z_namussfc.gif
[#########---------------------------] 25% 0d 00:00:18
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170704_12z_namussfc.gif
[#############-----------------------] 37% 0d 00:00:18
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170705_00z_namussfc.gif
[##################------------------] 50% 0d 00:00:15
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170705_12z_namussfc.gif
[######################--------------] 62% 0d 00:00:13
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170706_00z_namussfc.gif
[###########################---------] 75% 0d 00:00:10
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170706_12z_namussfc.gif
[###############################-----] 87% 0d 00:00:05
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170707_00z_namussfc.gif
[####################################] 100%
Saving file: /Users/rob/Desktop/Wpc_Maps/20170707_12z_namussfc.gif