US operations · Forecast
SPC Convective Outlooks
Official severe-thunderstorm risk outlooks, including tornado, damaging wind and hail probabilities.
Open current outlooks ↗ Independent weather coverage
Tracking the
atmosphere.
A US-focused severe-weather operations desk for storm outlooks, mesoscale analysis, atmospheric parameters and meteorology learning.
This website is an information hub, not an official warning service. Always follow emergency services and your local meteorological agency.
SPC OUTLOOKSOfficial US severe-weather risk guidance
MESOSCALE ANALYSISInstability · shear · helicity · boundaries
STORM SCIENCETools for structured forecast reasoning
Weather operations
Start with official data
Quick access to operational warning and forecast sources. Links open the source agency; check its issue time, validity period and geographic coverage.
US operations · Watches
Active Convective Watches
Check current tornado and severe-thunderstorm watches, watch areas and valid times.
Open current watches ↗US operations · Nowcasting
Mesoscale Discussions
Short-term SPC discussions that describe developing threats and potential watch issuance.
Open active discussions ↗US operations · Local alerts
National Weather Service Alerts
Warnings and alerts issued by local NWS forecast offices. Select a location for the latest information.
Open NWS alerts ↗Monitoring status: the “Site online” indicator means this webpage is available. It does not mean severe weather is currently occurring, and this page does not yet provide a verified live alert feed.
Advanced meteorology · United States
Severe-weather analysis desk
Jump into official analysis products, then use the worksheet to organise the environment you are analysing. The worksheet does not fetch or invent live atmospheric observations.
Mesoscale environment
SPC Mesoscale Analysis
Operational maps for instability, wind fields, moisture, boundaries and severe-weather parameters.
Open SPC mesoanalysis ↗Upper air
Observed soundings
Review temperature, dew point, wind with height, cap strength and parcel characteristics using current sounding data.
Open sounding archive ↗Radar and warnings
NWS Radar & Alerts
Use radar alongside warnings and storm reports; radar signatures alone do not confirm a tornado.
Open NWS radar ↗Official interactive station map · United States
US upper-air sounding stations
This version uses the National Weather Service's own clickable sounding-station map instead of a separate map that can fail to load or point to the wrong product. Click a four-character station ID on the official map to open its sounding.
Open the official US sounding map
The map is hosted by weather.gov, so station locations and sounding links come directly from the National Weather Service.
Open clickable sounding map ↗Manual analysis worksheet
Environmental parameter check
Enter values from a current sounding or analysis map. This is a learning aid, not an automated forecast or warning.
Enter one or more values and select “Review entered parameters” to see a cautious, rule-of-thumb summary.
Context matters: parcel choice, storm mode, forcing, boundaries, capping, storm motion and data quality can change the interpretation. No single parameter predicts a tornado.
Operational caution: this is an educational worksheet. Values are manually entered by you and are not live measurements. Always verify time, location, parcel method and source, and follow official NWS warnings.
United States
SPC outlook imagery
Direct imagery from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Images can update or move as the SPC publishes new products; open the official product page for issue times and full context.
These are external image files, not a live radar display. Product availability and filenames are controlled by the SPC.
Useful links
Weather desk
Reliable starting points for forecasts, radar, watches and storm reports.
SPC mesoanalysisInstability, shear, helicity and more↗
NWS radarUS radar mosaics and local radar↗
SPC watch informationTornado and severe thunderstorm watches↗
SPC mesoscale discussionsShort-term severe weather monitoring↗
SPC storm reportsPreliminary US severe-weather reports↗
NWS forecast mapsOfficial US forecast products↗
Time zones
World clocks
Local time in key US storm-monitoring regions, Australia and UTC.
Interactive thermodynamics lab
Skew-T / Log-P lab
Explore how temperature and dew point change with height, identify a cap, and follow a conceptual parcel path. Select a training profile to see how the thermodynamic story changes.
TemperatureDew pointConceptual parcel pathShaded band: illustrative cap
Surface-based CAPE2,200 J/kg
CIN−125 J/kg
LCL1.1 km AGL
LFC2.0 km AGL
Temperature and dew point
The gap between temperature and dew point is a rough indicator of low-level moisture. A smaller gap generally means higher relative humidity.
The cap · CIN
A warm layer aloft inhibits parcels from reaching free convection. Strong inhibition can delay initiation until stronger lift or heating erodes the cap.
Parcel path · CAPE
The parcel trace is schematic. CAPE represents positive buoyant energy after the parcel reaches its level of free convection; it is not a storm or tornado guarantee.
LCL and LFC
The LCL approximates where a lifted parcel becomes saturated. The LFC is where it first becomes positively buoyant relative to the environment. They are different levels and depend on the parcel method.
Quick check: what does CIN describe?
Choose an answer to see why it is correct or incorrect.
Important: This lab uses illustrative training profiles only. The displayed CAPE, CIN, LCL and LFC values are teaching examples, not observed or operational forecast data. Use an official sounding source for real atmospheric observations.
Meteorology learning · interactive training
Storm science training centre
Work through short lessons and knowledge checks on US severe-weather forecasting. Choose a topic, study the key concepts, then answer the question to check your understanding.
Your meteorology course progress
Complete lessons and forecasting scenarios to build your score. Progress is saved in this browser.
0/8Course points
Level 1
Beginner
Storm structure and the ingredients that shape tornado potential.
In progressLevel 2
Intermediate
Boundaries, hodographs and how the environment affects storm evolution.
Up nextLevel 3
Advanced
Radar interpretation and an applied forecast scenario.
Up nextLesson 01 · Storm structure
Supercells: why rotation matters
Learning objective: distinguish a supercell from an ordinary thunderstorm.
A supercell is a thunderstorm characterised by a persistent, deep rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Rotation is often supported by vertical wind shear, which changes wind speed and/or direction with height.
- Updraft: rising air that supports deep convection and precipitation growth.
- Mesocyclone: a rotating updraft, usually several kilometres across; it is not itself a tornado.
- Storm-relative inflow: air feeding into the storm relative to its motion.
- Storm mode: discrete cells, clusters or lines affect how hazards evolve.
Forecasters combine radar trends, environmental wind profiles, instability, boundaries and storm evolution rather than relying on one visual signature.
What best distinguishes a supercell from an ordinary thunderstorm?
Choose an answer to see an explanation.
Forecasting note: this centre is for learning, not real-time warnings or a substitute for official NWS guidance. Radar signatures and environmental parameters are probabilistic; no single ingredient confirms a tornado.
Applied forecasting · Advanced challenge
Forecast scenario: the Plains setup
A forecast area has moderate-to-strong instability, strengthening deep-layer shear, a moist low-level air mass and a dryline approaching from the west. CIN remains present, and storms have not initiated yet. What is the most defensible next step?
Choose the best forecasting decision to complete the advanced challenge.
This is a fictional training case, not a live forecast. Real decisions require current observations and official guidance.
Forecasting
Storm Prediction Center
Learn how outlook categories, watch probabilities and mesoscale discussions are used in US severe-weather forecasting.
SPC FAQ ↗Weather science
NOAA severe-weather education
Explore thunderstorm ingredients, storm organisation, hazards and forecast reasoning.
NOAA/NSSL learning centre ↗Safety
Severe weather safety
Plan ahead, follow official warnings, and never put yourself or others at risk to observe or film a storm.
NWS tornado safety ↗