Weather: A PCL Pathfinder

Researchers and students search for weather information for a variety of reasons including creating travel plans and writing research reports. Weather affects farming, transportation, and business in many different ways since, at any given time, the weather can change. This guide introduces researchers to some of the basic informational sources on the topic. The resources below will help researchers get started if they are looking for forecasts for the next few days or even past weather conditions. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library's catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.

Quick Jump to:

FORECASTS

BOOKS

LOCAL RESOURCES

ORGANIZATIONS

SUBJECT HEADINGS

RELATED RESEARCH GUIDES

Intellicast.com
www.intellicast.com
Includes recent historical data by locality.

Weather Channel
www.weather.com/homepage.html
Includes 10-day weather forecasts and how weather impacts travel, lawn and garden, health, health, and recreation.

Weather Underground
www.wunderground.com
Provides daily weather forecast and includes historical data by locality back to the 1920s in some cases, such as Boston .

World Weather (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/
Current conditions and forecasts for the UK and the world. Includes background material about weather including climate change, glossary, understanding the weather, and more.

Encyclopedia of Climate and Weather by Stephen Henry Schneider. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. ISBN: 0195094859.
With more than 300 entries covering topics from acid rain to zonal circulation through text and more than 400 illustrations.
551.6 ENC

Macmillan Encyclopedia of Weather by Paul Stein. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. ISBN: 0028654730.
Includes 150 entries covering weather in all its manifestations, terms, concepts, and particular phenomena in a single volume. Introductory work for students and general researchers. [NOTE: We do not own this item. You may find it at the Waldo Library at WMU.

The Weather Almanac: A Reference Guide to Weather, Climate, and Air Quality in the United States and Its Key Cities, Comprising Statistics, Principles, and Terminology. Detroit : Gale Research, 2003. ISBN: 0787675156.
Includes in-depth weather records for 108 major U.S. cities and a climatic overview of the country, including 33 U.S. weather atlas maps. [NOTE: We do not own this item. You may find it at the Kalamazoo Public Library and the Portage District Library.

Weather America by Alfred N. Garwood. Milpitas, CA : Toucan Valley, 1996. ISBN: 188492560X.
Includes detailed climatological data for over 4,000 places and rankings. [NOTE: We do not own this item. You may find it at the Kalamazoo Public Library and the Waldo Library at WMU.

Weather America: A Thirty-Year Summary of Statistical Weather Data and Rankings, 2nd ed. by David Garoogian. Lakeville, CT : Grey House, 2001. ISBN: 1891482297.
Covers weather rankings, major storm events, and state chapters. Appendices include climate centers, periods of record, map of NEXRAD Doppler radar stations, and an explanation of data. [NOTE: We do not own this item. You may find it at the Waldo Library at WMU.

Channel 3 WWMT TV Weather
http://www.wwmt.com/
CBS television affiliate based in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Channel 8 WOOD TV Weather
http://www.woodtv.com
NBC television partner based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Channel 13 Weather WZZM TV
http://www.wzzm13.com/
ABC affilitate based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

National Weather Service Radar for Grand Rapids, MI
http://radar.weather.gov/ridge/radar.php?rid=grr&product=NCR&overlay=11101111&loop=no
Detailed weather radar coverage for our area. Expandable to regional and national ranges.

National Climatic Data Center
http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html
Produces numerous climate publications and responds to data requests from all over the world. NCDC supports a three tier national climate services support program—the partners include: NCDC, Regional Climate Centers, and State Climatologists. Web site includes many free data files.

National Weather Association (NWA)
www.nwas.org
Promotes professionalism and develops solutions to problems faced by meteorologists and people working in daily weather forecasting activities.

National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
www.nws.noaa.gov
Issues weather warnings, observations, forecasts, hydrological information reported from 13 forecast centers, and satellite maps.