Weather Information

Multiple sources of weather information are used to provide a unique way to evaluate disease risk within the prediction tools. The colored maps are produced using a source of weather information known as the Real Time Mesoscale Analysis (RTMA), a product of the National Weather Service. The RTMA system combines multiple sources of weather information to generate observations of temperature and dew point temperature (converted to relative humidity (RH) for our purposes) on a 5 km grid throughout a region. In addition to the RTMA data the disease forecasting system also uses weather stations throughout the region to provide the temperature, RH and rain observations that are presented on the graphs. You can compare the two sources of weather information by clicking on weather stations represented as "dots" within the map.

In 2007, we began a partnership with agriculture weather networks in Michigan (MAWN) and North Dakota (NDAWN) in an effort to enhance the coverage of weather stations in these areas. This effort was expanded in 2008 to include information gathered by the High Plains Climate Center for Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. These stations are displayed on the map as triangles. Clicking on these stations also provides station specific observations of weather and disease risk in the graph panel.

Weather forecasts: Weather forecasts used by the prediction tool are part of the National Digital Forecast (NDF) produced by the National Weather Service. This information is used to provide 24 and 48 hour forecasts available within the user interface. You can access these estimates of risk by clicking on the 24 or 48 buttons in the upper left corner of the tool. We have carefully evaluated the skill of these forecasts and believe them to be accurate in most situations. As with any weather forecast, the NDF is subject to error, and we suggest you carefully evaluate all available information when making any management decisions.