• Comprehensive Glossary Of Weather Terms For Storm Spotters (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-145). Weather-related terms that may be either heard or used by severe local storm spotters or spotter groups.
• Reading Weather Maps. Primer for understanding all the data, symbols, indicators, etc. Good descriptions on temperature and time conversions. Go to WW2010 for much more on weather.
• Weather Glossary. (Weather Channel). Good general listing of terms with clear definitions.

Return to Top

• National Weather Service Buffalo, New York. Weather and climate reports, forecasts, data.
• Buffalo Weather Report (Intellicast: Weather Services International). UB Weather.
• Buffalo Weather (Weather Channel).
• Weather Summaries: Buffalo, NY (NWS): Daily Climatic Summaries , Monthly Climatic Summaries.
• Snow Closing Information WNY. WIVB official list of closings. Updated as it happens.
• UB Severe Weather Closing, call: 645-NEWS (645-6397).
• Weather Cams. Regional video cameras provide real time looks at the weather around Western New York:
  • Buffalo Cam Downtown Buffalo viewing Lake Erie over Niagara Park.
  • Niagara Falls Cam is viewing from Niagara Falls, Ontario.
  • Olean LiveCam (Greater Olean Chamber of Commerce). Several live cams.
  • SUNY Brockport.
  • Rochester NY (WHEC TV). Large number of cameras all over the metro area.
  • Oswego State University. User-controlled live cam.

Return to Top

• Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN (National Weather Service)). Source of weather forecasts and data.
• Weather Toolbox (Weather Company). Current reports, warnings, other data, in list form for ease of finding the right data.
• Weather.com Home Page. The Weather Channel Home Page
• Weather Page. Intellicast (Weather Services International). Weather forecasts, predictions, data, history, and educational materials.
• The Weather Underground. Weather and weather data, current and historical.
• OSU Weather (Ohio State University). Climate and weather data, current data summaries, other materials for on demand reference/research.
• Old Farmer's Almanac. Weather forecasts that "are determined by the use of a secret formula (devised in 1792 by the founder of this Almanac, Robert B. Thomas), enhanced by the most modern scientific calculations based on solar activity, particularly sunspot cycles."
• STORMFAX® Weather Services. Weather and climatologic services, historical, and other data. Current information on hurricanes, tropical storms, and other weather activities, as well as information/links on such topics as: Ocean temperatures and conditions, tides, sunrise/moonrise, pollen, pollution, and UV conditions, weather lore and history, and many others.
• World Data Center A: Meteorology (WDC-A) is one component of a global network of discipline subcenters facilitating international exchange of scientific data. Established during the International Geophysical Year (IGY), 1957, the World Data Center System now functions under the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The WDC-A for Meteorology is maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is collocated and operated by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

Return to Top

• National Hurricane Center (Tropical Prediction Center).
• Severe Weather NOAA site for all severe weather events in the U.S.
• Storm Chasers Website of the group immortalized in the movie, Twister.
• Storm Watch (FEMA). Official site for hurricane and flood warnings and watches.
• StormWatch Earth Watch Weather on Demand site for severe storms. Nice images!

Return to Top

• Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS--University of Oklahoma in Norman), is a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center whose mission is to demonstrate the practicability of small-scale numerical weather prediction with an emphasis on deep convection.
• Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS--National Ocean Service) collects, analyzes and distributes historic and real-time observations and predictions of water levels, coastal currents and other meteorological and oceanographic data.
• Climatological Databases (Available in SEL Map Collection, 3rd floor).
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Official home page. News, photographs, maps and charts, services, etc. Use "Site Index" to locate specific data. Includes:
  • Earth Observing System. Global study and data collection of Earth's climate and weather cycles.
  • Global Systems Division (GSD) of the Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL). Formerly the Forecast Systems Laboratory. Maps, charts, and data on current global weather activities.
  • Hourly Rain Data from NOAA's Forecast Systems Laboratory. Interactive map shows rainfall data by date; zoom in to view data by recording site.
  • Climate and Weather Predictions and Tracking
    • Climate Prediction Center. Assesses and forecasts impacts of short-term climate variability, emphasizing enhanced risks of weather-related "extreme events."
    • Severe Weather. All U.S. severe weather events.
    • Storm Prediction Center. Monitors tornadoes, lake-effect storms, and other severe weather in the U.S.
    • Climate Prediction resources. First.gov related NWS links.
  • NOAA Paleoclimatology. Pre-historic (pre-instrument) climate/weather data.
  • Weather Page. Great list of sources of weather information.
• National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). World's largest active archive of weather data, maps, and images. NCDC produces numerous climate publications and responds to data requests from all over the world. NCDC operates the World Data Center-A, Meteorology, collocated at NCDC.
  • Climate Resources (from NCDC).
  • Documents Library Includes:
    • Local Climatological Data Publications for Buffalo, NY. Includes monthly and annual cumulations of climate/weather data from the Buffalo weather station for years 1908-present. To use: click on Local Climatological Data, Edited (LCD), then select Buffalo NY (by date).
    • Monthly Climatic Data for the World (MCDW)
    • Storm Data (SD)
    • Local Climatological Data, Edited (LCD)
    • Climatological Data (CD)
    • Hourly Precipitation Data (HPD)
    • Monthly Normals (Climatography of the U.S. #81)
    • Heating and Cooling Degree Day Data (HCS 5-1 & 5-2)
    • Climate Maps of U.S. (PDF)
      Climatography of the U.S., Clim 81 Sup 3., U.S. maps of mean air temperature, precipitation, heating/cooling degree data
    • Climates of the World (PDF)
      Publication of average temperature and precipitation data for over 800 stations
    • Wind Climatology 1996 (PDF).
      Wind Climatology for selected U.S. Cities
    • Freeze/Frost data for the U.S. (PDF)
    • Selected Freeze/Frost Maps
  • Educational Climate Resources.
• National Ocean Service. News, maps and charts, data, and links to related sites.
• National Weather Service. "The National Weather Service™ (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy." Includes data, maps, predictions, historical data sets, and links to regional offices and sites. Climate related pages are found here. Some critical topic sites include:
  • Hazards Assessment (U.S.). Weather disaster areas; source of identification.
  • National Hurricane Center (Tropical Climate Center). Data, current conditions, warnings, preparedness, and other.
  • Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN). Go directly to the source of weather forecasts and data sources.
  • National Data Buoy Center. Oceanographic and meteorological measurement data from ocean and lake buoys around the world. Run by the National Weather Service. Offers new phone service called Dial a Buoy.
  • World-wide Weather Buoy Stations, by ID. A service of the U.S. National Weather Service, Tallahassee, Florida. The next link also provides access to buoy data.
• World Meteorological Organization (WMO). United Nations agency, WMO coordinates global scientific activity to allow increasingly prompt and accurate weather information and other services for public, private and commercial use.

Return to Top

• Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program site. Government funded research on global change effects on the atmosphere and its relation to climate.
• CLIMVIS. Graphical representations of climate and weather data (NCDC).
• Climate and Weather Predictions and Tracking (NOAA). Sites on climate/weather events.
• Global Climate Highlights: Major Events and Anomalies. Updated weekly. From the Climate Prediction Center (CPC).
• Global Change Data and Information Products (Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center). Subject listing of variety of data sets.
• Global Warming Information Page. Interdisciplinary global warming studies.
• NOAA Paleoclimatology. Climate histories prior to instrument recording of data (back to 100,000 years)., Includes: Historical Climate Data Records.
• Historical Weather Database. Temperature and precipitation data for 2,000 cities worldwide. Compiled from NWS and NCDC data by the Washington Post.
• Long-Term Daily and Monthly Climate Records from Stations Across the Contiguous United States (United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN)). High quality, moderate-sized data set of daily and monthly records of basic meteorological variables from over 1000 observing stations across the 48 contiguous United States.
• International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). Has Cloud Data, Maps, & Plots.
• National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Climate and long-term weather data, maps.
• National Weather Service (NWS). Climate and weather data records, maps, imagery.
• North East Climate Impacts Monthly summaries of weather events in the Northeast from October 1994 to present. By the Northeast Regional Climate Center, Cornell University.
• Ocean Planet: Resource Room (Smithsonian). Oceanography and ocean climate resources.
• OSU Weather (Ohio State University). Climate and weather data, current data summaries, other materials for on demand reference/research.
• Snow Crystals (Kenneth Libbrecht (California Institute of Technology)). Microscopic examination of snow and snowflakes. History and physics of snowflakes.
• Tide and Current Predictor. Harmonic tide and current speed predictor for the World Wide Web. All calculations and graphics by the XTide Program.
• Weather Research Center. Variety of materials from a non-profit research and education center.
• World Climate. WorldClimate.com provides climate data and instant weather reports for any location that you provide.
• Yahoo - Science:Earth Sciences:Meteorology. Has a variety of topics on climate, from Atmospheric Chemistry and Biometeorology to Paleoclimatology.

Return to Top

• Careers in Atmospheric Research and Applied Meteorology (AMS)
• Career Center American Meteorological Society). Job listings, requirements, and places to file resumes for Atmospheric, Oceanic, Hydrologic, and Related Sciences.
• Employment Resources in Meteorology (NASA. Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO)). Links to employment opportunities.

Return to Top

• The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Learn about and prepare for disasters. Includes resources and data on all kinds of events, including:
  • Are You Ready? "In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness." Covers topics such as Winter Storms.
  • Storm Watch (FEMA). Official site for hurricane and flood warnings and watches.
• Hazards Assessment (NWS). Weather disaster areas; source of identification.
• Severe Weather (NOAA). Data and reports on all severe weather situations.
• Storm Ready! (NWS). Awareness and planning on a community level. Learn how to coordinate with municipal and governmental emergency support, how to be prepared, how to get help in a disaster, and other topics. Describes situations and their likelihood. Also includes special topic resources, such as: Tsunami Ready and Severe Weather In My Community.

Return to Top

Reference Books

• Local Climatological Data, Buffalo (1958-Present) UGL/SEL REF QC 983 A533
• Survey of Climatology v.11 UGL/SEL REF QC 981 W67
• Climates of the States v.2 UGL/ SEL REF QC 983 C 56 1985
• Climatic Atlas of the United States SEL Map Rm Atlas G 1201 C8 U57 1993
• Solar Energy Atlas for New York State. James Healey, Richard T. Nelson, Ronald Stewart. Albany: Atmospheric Sciences Research Center, SUNY Albany, 1975.
  UGL/SEL Ref QC894 N7 H4 1975.
• Solar Radiation Energy Resource Atlas of the United States. Solar Energy Research Institute, 1981. SEL Map Rm Ref QC911.82.U5 S64 / UGL/SEL REF QC911.82.U5 S64
  The only source of solar radiation data for the Buffalo area.
• Weather of U.S. Cities v.2 UGL/SEL REF QC 983 W393

Books

• Elements of Geography UGL G126 T7 1967
  Describes climatic regions of the United States (Koppen system)
• Snow Cover Surveys Lockwood GB 2416 E 28

Journals

• Climate Change v.3 (1980/1981)- Present SEL Per QC981.8.C5 C54
  "An interdisciplinary, international journal devoted to the description, causes and implications of climatic change."

Government Documents

• Common Questions About Climate Change SEL Documents US C 55.2: C 61/ 7

Return to Top

Teachers

• Educational Activities. (NCDC). Climate/weather educational materials.
• Educator's Bridge. (National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research: NCDC affiliate). Climate/weather educational materials and links; arranged by grade level.
• Bridge (Sea Grant Ocean Sciences Education Center). Educational materials, activities, climate/weather/environmental news and issues.
• Water Cycle Teachers Page (University of Washington). Study guides and course materials on the entire water cycle.

Kids

• FEMA for Kids (The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Helps kids learn about and prepare for disasters.
• Lesson Plans from the Weather Channel has lesson plans and guides for teachers of grades K-12. Also includes the Weather Classroom which is intended for grades 4-10 and complements the series of short weather spots on the TV.
• Projects and Activities page. Learn weather and climate concepts by performing experiments, taking readings, and other activities.
• WWW Virtual Library: Meteorology: K-12 Educational Sites. Contains links to lesson plans, exercises, teaching initiatives and projects and weather and climate phenomena.

Return to Top