Top FREE Weather Apps and Model Websites

Hey, it's Ryan from Ryan and Kellie's Weather Discussion on Facebook. If you are not already a member, Click HERE  to join our group.

I get asked quite a bit which app I use to follow the weather. However, you can't choose just one because they don't have the same features. Here's a list based on my personal opinion.

1. NOAA Weather Free

This app takes the forecast straight from The National Weather Service. It gives you a 7 day forecast. It has a pretty good radar. I also like it's hourly features. I use it to see a graph of wind speed, wind chill, temps etc. Very easy to use.

2. WeatherBug

This app has some really good features but it also has some flaws. I absolutely love this app for current temperature. It finds the closest weather station to your location. Typically it finds the closest school with a weather station. This is more accurate because big name apps like The Weather Channel and Accuweather go by the nearest airport. Chances are you live closer to a school than an airport. It gives a 10 day forecast. This is where the flaw comes in. It's not really good on predicting precipitation. But if you want an accurate temp and a pretty good radar, download this app.

3. MyRadar

This app is awesome when it comes to tracking precipitation. It's one of the best radars I've seen.

4. Windy

This app has a feature where you can compare the weather models. This allows you to come up with a your own prediction based on model data.

If you enjoy looking at weather models to come up with your own forecast, here are a few websites.

1. www.weather.us
2. www.tropicaltidbits.com
3. www.pivotalweather.com

They are all free with tons of parameters.

I hope this helps you out. I follow the models and post the information in my group. I look forward to tracking snow with you this winter!

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BULLSHIT WARNING issued after multiple outlets say a Brutal Winter is coming

It's that time of year again, when everyone starts to worry about Winter. It's November 1st, but multiple outlets have already shared their thoughts on the upcoming Winter.

First of all, I call bullshit! Temps have been above normal for a very long time in the northeast. When's the last time we saw a month average out well below normal? It's inevitable. The pattern will continue.

You'll hear terms like Polar Vortex thrown around really soon. Especially since some models are hinting at very cold air mid month. But keep in mind, the cold won't stick around. Yeah, we'll have cold snaps this Winter. We always do. But when temps get averaged out for the month, I don't expect them to be brutal. Average to even above average is more likely.

Hell, it's probably going to hit the 70's in a couple days across parts of the Northeast.

But what does December through March have in store? Who the hell knows! If we could predict weather that far out, we wouldn't screw up forecasts 24 hours away from a storm. Winter is coming. That's a fact. That's about the only fact we have right now.

My best guess would be average to above average temps because that's been the theme. Why would we suddenly break a pattern that has been here for quite some time?

Snow? Yeah, you'll see snow. Will you be shoveling daily? No. Will we be buried often? No. Unless you live in a Lake Effect snow belt, you won't see crippling snowfalls.

In Eastern PA, for example, I see 38" on average each Winter. Have we hit that number lately? Hell no. So yes, the trend will continue. Small storms. Mixing events as usual. Schools closing over a 3 inch storm. Yep, typical northeast Winter.

Remember last year? It freaking sucked! Barely any snow. Only exception was the Blizzard in March which brought up our season totals.

Bottom line: Don't believe everything you see on the internet. There's so many weather pages to follow on Facebook. My suggestion? Follow your local national weather service page. Hell, you can join my group of over 15,000 people for a real forecast, too. There's members from 36 countries! Great discussions, great people and lots of laughs!

Ryan and Kellie's Weather Discussion on Facebook: CLICK TO JOIN

See you there!

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Category 4 Irma 9am Sunday Update

⚠ Hurricane Irma ⚠

As of the 8am Sunday Update issued by the National Hurricane Center:

Category 4
Max sustained winds: 130mph
Movement: NNW at 8mph

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Current Radar as of 8:50am

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER 

Current Watches and Warnings:

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER 

Projected Rainfall Forecast:

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER 

Projected Storm Surge:

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER 

**Images courtesy of www.weather.com**

Projected Wind Gusts:

Marco Island: 135-145mph
Sarasota: 125-135mph
Tampa: 115-125mph
Fort Myers: 110-120mph
Key West: 110-120mph
Marathon: 110-120mph
Tallahassee: 90-100mph
Okeechobee: 75-85mph
Orlando: 75-85mph
Miami: 75-85mph
St. Augustine: 70-80mph
Vero Beach: 65-75mph
Panama City Beach: 55-65mph

If you want to follow my continuous updates, please join Ryan and Kellie's Weather Discussion on Facebook!

First Call on Hurricane Irma

In the above image, you can see my projected path for Hurricane Irma. She is currently a Category 5 storm. I am projecting her to make landfall in Florida on Sunday as a slightly weaker Category 4 Hurricane. That's still major, but not as bad as things could be. There's quite a bit of different solutions as she moves north. This is why my projected path gets wider as the days go on. Whatever is left of her will eventually impact Pennsylvania no earlier than Thursday of next week. 

I run a weather group on Facebook called Ryan and Kellie's Weather Discussion. There's over 14,500 members and we continue to grow. We post daily forecasts for Eastern PA. However, we cover large events such as hurricanes, too. Feel free to come along for the ride as we try to figure out Irma.

 Click here to join group

How much snow in Eastern PA this Winter?

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CLICK PICTURE TO VIEW LARGER

Some locations in the red area:
Milford

Hawley

Scranton

Tunkhannock

Laporte

Williamsport

Some locations in the blue area:
Bloomsburg

Hazleton (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Freeland (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Pottsville

Schuylkill Haven

Tremont

Pine Grove

Shenandoah

Frackville (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Ringtown

New Philly

Tuscarora

Mcadoo (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Lehighton

Summit Hill (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Lansford

Albrightsville (ELEVATION) 40-50"

Jim Thorpe

Allentown

Bethlehem

Hamburg

Port Clinton

Lebanon

Some locations in the bottom area:

Doylestown

Norristown

Philadelphia

Media
West Chester

York

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Major East Coast Storm Monday into Tuesday

In this article, I'll be showing you the GFS, EURO and NAM models. I want you to be able to compare each image so you understand why it's so hard to forecast. 

First up is the GFS 

Let's focus on Eastern Pennsylvania. Areas North of Interstate 80 would receive a plowable snowfall if this image were to verify. Areas south of I-80 would see much less snow. The difference in snow amounts is due to sleet and freezing rain. Areas from Schuylkill County and points south would be in the mixing zone. 

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER

Next up is the NAM

Again, lets focus on Eastern PA. The storm track is further to the East on this run. So if this image were to verify, we would all see mainly snow from this storm.

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER

Next up is the EURO

The storm is further to the West on this run. It disagrees with the NAM's "all snow" event. This would bring heavier snows to Western PA while Eastern PA is stuck dealing with freezing rain and even plain rain. We would all start out as snow, but gradually change to sleet, freezing rain and finishing off with plain rain Tuesday evening. 

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER

It's still too early to pinpoint timing with this storm. Some models say it will start in the afternoon on Monday. While other models say it will start after dark Monday. Either way, once it gets started, it's gonna get ugly. Hopefully this article helped you understand why forecasting is so hard. If the models don't agree, it's hard for prognosticators to come up with a final call. 

Stay tuned as I keep you ahead of the storm. If you're not already a member, please join Fall-Winter Weather Discussion on Facebook! 

Huge winter storm to impact Eastern PA

Start Time:

After 10:00PM

End Time: 

Early Sunday morning

How much snow?

It would be irresponsible of me to give exact totals. The models are all over the place. One model shows 6" while another shows 30 inches. This will be a "now-casting" event. We will just need to track the radar continuously and update accordingly. 

Wind: 

Gusts could reach 25-30mph at times. This will cause whiteout conditions with blowing snow. If a lot of snow falls, drifting will become an issue. Scattered power outages are possible as well. 

Below I'll show you the difference between the models. On the NAM, there's a large bullseye of 24"+ for a big chunk of the area. On the GFS, the 24"+ zone is only in the Philly area. This would mean lower snow totals further north (if the GFS verified). 

MODEL:
NAM

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER

MODEL:
GFS

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER