Hopefully you have had the opportunity to download Google Earth and have tried some of the links that load kmz/kml files to overlay on the earth. Tonight on our 600pm newscast I am demonstrating some great utilities that you can add to your Google Earth. These are some of the same mash-ups I use at home…if I’m not directly dialed into the Weather Lab that is! There are plenty of sites that provide satellite imagery and the basic Google Earth package comes with limited satellite data. But check out an experimental site that the National Severe Storm Center is running. You have additional access to radar data, enhanced satellite imagery and severe warning information. Again be careful not to toggle too many applications on or else you will bog down your earth!
Also if you want to keep abreast of our local hydrological situation and want to know what rivers are doing locally or nationwide check out NOAA’s Hydrological download.
People who work and/or play offshore should also check out Justmagic.com. There is a wealth of oceanographic information available on this site where you can get the latest information on winds and waves in the Gulf, check out water temperatures and depth, or want to explore worldwide shipwreck information. Be patient on getting onto this site as I believe it’s an overseas website and I have experienced some latency in retrieving data in the past. Once you get there, this site can keep you busy for hours, but if you crave more, wait to see the information you can get your hands on tomorrow…that’s on Acadiana’s NewsChannel at 600pm.