<p>The best model archive I know of offhand is Iowa State Meteorology's Gempak model data in their <a href="http://mtarchive.geol.iastate.edu/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MTArchive</a>.  Looks like model-wise, they have at least 10 years of GFS (and the predecessor, the AVN).  No idea if the models are complete files (include CAPE) or not, though.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/gempak/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Gempak</a> software is free, though you won't get graphics nearly as polished as WxBell; they've spent a lot of time fine tuning their setup, and likely use newer more flexible tools (probably <a href="http://cola.gmu.edu/grads/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GrADS</a> or <a href="http://opengrads.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OpenGrADS</a>, both also free).  You could probably get GrADS to use the .gem files, perhaps by converting them?  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-10T23:17:31.210Z
WRF data may be harder to get, because it's not one of the big standard supercomputer models, but instead is a package that many people have subsequently setup and run on their own servers.  You can find many different websites with WRF simulations being run for different areas... but because they're just small side projects for most, people, and they use a lot of space per run, it's unlikely you'll find much archived data, I'd think.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-10T23:43:41.707Z
Thanks, you da real MVP. Do you know if MapBox works well with Gempak or OpenGrADS?
spillthrill
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-11T00:18:33.590Z
I really haven't worked with it.  Funny enough, I'm looking to learn more about it, and haven't really figured out where to get started.  We're going opposite directions!  Perhaps search for conversions into a proper format?
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-22T00:22:38.237Z
I found this: https://github.com/cambecc/earth Is it possible to convert GFS Gempak data from Iowa St. into JSON, or am I better off scraping GFS data from NOMADS?
spillthrill
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-22T00:40:48.887Z
I found that you could go Gem -> NetCDF (-> NcML ->)[https://github.com/Unidata/thredds/issues/654], or (perhaps there are more direct methods)[https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/support/help/MailArchives/netcdf/msg10812.html].  Does sound like some work, but I'm always pro doing it yourself rather than stealing off the work/bandwidth of others.   :-) Plus you wouldn't wake have to deal with any sudden changes/downtime from NOMADS or throttles they have.  How would you scrape it?  Do they have JSON files??
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-22T00:41:07.040Z
Still, I don't know much about anything beyond the Gem -> NetCDF part... so maybe there are better options.  Perhaps you'd be better suited to ask the conversion question on something like StackOverflow, as there are many fields that use gridded data.  You may even come across those knowing Gempak format and a direct conversion method since it's so much larger a community.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-24T22:56:13.687Z
@gansub, he didn't mention publishing a paper.  Though sometimes it wouldn't hurt to have better graphics (and more access) for papers these days.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-10T15:13:22.060Z
I had not! And for those who were wondering, [here](https://software.ecmwf.int/wiki/display/MAGP/Magics) is a link to more about it.  Looks like plotting software that may save some researchers some time in producing graphics.
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T23:10:16.553Z
What would I have to convert the Gempak gems into in order for them to be decodable by the Integrated Data Viewer, GrADS, OpenGrADS, Magics, or some other numerical earth data visualizer that also produces nice-looking images? Or can any of the four programs I mentioned natively read Gempak files? I'll save the NOMADS -> Nullschool Earth project for some other time, when I'm not totally stumped.
spillthrill
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-06-11T23:36:20.903Z
@spillthrill thinking [this](https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/support/help/MailArchives/gempak/msg02679.html) may point you a bit... looks like gdgrib would put you into grib, which I believe is more widespread in use... it certainly is a basic format used in GrADS/OpenGrADS.  If you need more input, certainly feel free to ask a new question :)
JeopardyTempest
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-10T23:12:44.173Z
2016-11-10T23:12:44.173Z
JeopardyTempest
<p>I've always found geographic visualizations of surface/mixed-layer CAPE models and other weather data to be incredibly interesting.</p>

<p><a href="https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/files/2013/06/hires_cape_washdc_31.png&amp;w=1484" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's a map</a> featured by the Capital Weather Gang over at the Washington Post, during the June 12-13, 2013 derecho series in the Ohio Valley/Chesapeake Bay regions. It was created by WeatherBELL, which is a subscription service offering visualizations based on their proprietary technology.</p>

<p><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zL79Alhz3A/U-g9Ff6h8zI/AAAAAAAAbgo/hFu4Q8TDTnY/s1600/mcape.60.0000.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's another map</a> featured on the blog of Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. This is an internal UW WRF model that is GFS-initialized.</p>

<p>I would like to know how I can take archived GFS or WRF data and visualize it on a map. Or even if that's possible (perhaps archived numerical data is only available to paid subscribers). What I would like to do is plot surface and upper-air readings to better understand the mesoscale setups for thunderstorms in the Pacific Northwest, where I live.</p>

<meteorology><atmosphere-modelling><weather-forecasting><visualization>
How can I implement a visualization of archived convective data from numerical weather models?
spillthrill
# How can I implement a visualization of archived convective data from numerical weather models?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-11-10)

I've always found geographic visualizations of surface/mixed-layer CAPE models and other weather data to be incredibly interesting.

[Here's a map](https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/files/2013/06/hires_cape_washdc_31.png&w=1484) featured by the Capital Weather Gang over at the Washington Post, during the June 12-13, 2013 derecho series in the Ohio Valley/Chesapeake Bay regions. It was created by WeatherBELL, which is a subscription service offering visualizations based on their proprietary technology.

[Here's another map](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zL79Alhz3A/U-g9Ff6h8zI/AAAAAAAAbgo/hFu4Q8TDTnY/s1600/mcape.60.0000.gif) featured on the blog of Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Washington. This is an internal UW WRF model that is GFS-initialized.

I would like to know how I can take archived GFS or WRF data and visualize it on a map. Or even if that's possible (perhaps archived numerical data is only available to paid subscribers). What I would like to do is plot surface and upper-air readings to better understand the mesoscale setups for thunderstorms in the Pacific Northwest, where I live.

**Tags:** meteorology, atmosphere-modelling, weather-forecasting, visualization


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-11-10. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The best model archive I know of offhand is Iowa State Meteorology's Gempak model data in their [MTArchive](http://mtarchive.geol.iastate.edu/). Looks like model-wise, they have at least 10 years of GFS (and the predecessor, the AVN). No idea if the models are complete files (include CAPE) or not, though.

[Gempak](http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/gempak/) software is free, though you won't get graphics nearly as polished as WxBell; they've spent a lot of time fine tuning their setup, and likely use newer more flexible tools (probably [GrADS](http://cola.gmu.edu/grads/) or [OpenGrADS](http://opengrads.org/), both also free). You could probably get GrADS to use the .gem files, perhaps by converting them?

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: WRF data may be harder to get, because it's not one of the big standard supercomputer models, but instead is a package that many people have subsequently setup and run on their own servers.  You can find many different websites with WRF simulations being run for different areas... but because they're just small side projects for most, people, and they use a lot of space per run, it's unlikely you'll find much archived data, I'd think.  
> **username_0**: Thanks, you da real MVP. Do you know if MapBox works well with Gempak or OpenGrADS?  
> **username_1**: I really haven't worked with it.  Funny enough, I'm looking to learn more about it, and haven't really figured out where to get started.  We're going opposite directions!  Perhaps search for conversions into a proper format?  
> **username_0**: I found this: https://github.com/cambecc/earth Is it possible to convert GFS Gempak data from Iowa St. into JSON, or am I better off scraping GFS data from NOMADS?  
> **username_1**: I found that you could go Gem -> NetCDF (-> NcML ->)[https://github.com/Unidata/thredds/issues/654], or (perhaps there are more direct methods)[https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/support/help/MailArchives/netcdf/msg10812.html].  Does sound like some work, but I'm always pro doing it yourself rather than stealing off the work/bandwidth of others.   :-) Plus you wouldn't wake have to deal with any sudden changes/downtime from NOMADS or throttles they have.  How would you scrape it?  Do they have JSON files??  
> **username_1**: Still, I don't know much about anything beyond the Gem -> NetCDF part... so maybe there are better options.  Perhaps you'd be better suited to ask the conversion question on something like StackOverflow, as there are many fields that use gridded data.  You may even come across those knowing Gempak format and a direct conversion method since it's so much larger a community.  
> **username_1**: @gansub, he didn't mention publishing a paper.  Though sometimes it wouldn't hurt to have better graphics (and more access) for papers these days.  
> **username_1**: I had not! And for those who were wondering, [here](https://software.ecmwf.int/wiki/display/MAGP/Magics) is a link to more about it.  Looks like plotting software that may save some researchers some time in producing graphics.  
> **username_0**: What would I have to convert the Gempak gems into in order for them to be decodable by the Integrated Data Viewer, GrADS, OpenGrADS, Magics, or some other numerical earth data visualizer that also produces nice-looking images? Or can any of the four programs I mentioned natively read Gempak files? I'll save the NOMADS -> Nullschool Earth project for some other time, when I'm not totally stumped.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 thinking [this](https://www.unidata.ucar.edu/support/help/MailArchives/gempak/msg02679.html) may point you a bit... looks like gdgrib would put you into grib, which I believe is more widespread in use... it certainly is a basic format used in GrADS/OpenGrADS.  If you need more input, certainly feel free to ask a new question :)  

---

