Viewing Advanced Weather Overlays on the Map (Core Feature, Included)

Anastasia Turyanski
Anastasia Turyanski
  • Updated

Tomorrow.io's platform includes a menu of advanced, vector-based weather and environmental map overlays. These layers provide additional situational awareness by displaying current and forecasted conditions for specific phenomena.

🌐 This feature is part of Tomorrow.io’s core data offering and is available to all platform users.

When to Use Map Overlays

Use these overlays to:

  • Visualize region-specific weather risks such as convective outlooks, excessive rainfall, or turbulence
  • Support real-time operational monitoring and briefings
  • Supplement insight-based monitoring with contextual map information

Note: Monitoring is not supported on these overlays. They are for display only.

How to View Overlays

  1. Open the Map page in the platform.
  2. In the icon cluster, expand the Advanced Weather Overlays icon.
  3. Toggle any of the available layers to display the data on the map.
  4. Click an event or polygon to open a side panel with detailed key-value metadata.
  5. Use the timeline slider to view past and future states of each overlay, if available.
Help Center - 738x472 - Overlays.png

Available Overlays

The Advanced Weather Overlays menu provides access to vector-based layers sourced from trusted public weather and environmental datasets. Each overlay adds context to ongoing and forecasted conditions directly on the map. Selecting a layer displays its data in real time, and clicking on any feature opens a side panel with detailed event information.

  • NOAA SPC Convective Outlook:  Forecasts the potential for severe thunderstorms across the continental U.S. up to three days ahead. Categories range from Marginal to High risk and cover hazards such as hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes.
  • NOAA Excessive Rainfall Outlook: Highlights areas with increased risk of flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall, available up to five days in advance. Useful for flood preparedness and hydrology-sensitive operations such as utilities, logistics, and emergency management.
  • WPC Flood Outlook: Shows potential and active areas of river flooding based on precipitation forecasts and hydrologic models. Helps organizations prepare for and mitigate regional flood impacts.
  • US Tornado Warnings: Shows real-time tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service. Indicates confirmed or radar-indicated tornado activity to support immediate protective action.
  • WPC Winter Storm Severity Index: Displays the expected severity of winter storm impacts, including snow, ice, wind, and extreme cold. Impact levels range from Minor to Extreme, supporting travel, logistics, and infrastructure planning.
  • USGS Earthquakes – M4.5+ and Significant: Maps past day global earthquake activity (magnitude 4.5 and above, or significant events). Each feature includes magnitude, location, and depth details, supporting safety assessments and response planning.
  • NHC Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook: Identifies areas in the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific with potential tropical cyclone development over the next two and seven days. Displays probabilities and projected tracks to support early-stage tropical risk management.
  • Turbulence Probability Max: Displays forecasted areas of high atmospheric turbulence over a two-day period. Especially useful for aviation, logistics, and air traffic operations to support route planning and flight safety.

Each layer includes metadata specific to the hazard, such as severity category, forecast validity, and geographic extent.

GOES Satellite Layers and Advanced Atmospheric Fields

To support meteorological forecasting and enhance expert workflows, Tomorrow.io includes additional upper-air data and satellite visualization layers.

These updates help meet ICAO Annex 3 Aviation Weather support requirements, enabling meteorologists to issue products such as SIGMETs, and assess conditions including low-level turbulence, convection initiation, and icing potential.

GOES Satellite Layers (Free to All Users)

Available by default, these RGB satellite layers from the GOES constellation offer visual insights into key atmospheric and environmental features:

Advanced Atmospheric Fields

  • Geopotential Height – Shows the height of constant-pressure surfaces.
  • Vorticity – Highlights atmospheric rotation, aiding storm development analysis.
  • Vertical Velocity – Indicates vertical air motion.
  • Divergence – Identifies spreading or converging air patterns.
  • CAPE – Quantifies potential thunderstorm energy.
  • CIN – Indicates suppression of convective activity.
  • Precipitable Water – Measures total column water vapor.
  • Integrated Water Vapor – Tracks moisture transport across the atmosphere.

Additional Weather Overlays

The following overlays expand coverage across severe weather outlooks and advanced atmospheric analysis:

SPC Convective Outlooks

  • Wind – Highlights areas with potential for damaging wind events
  • Tornado – Identifies regions with increased tornado risk

SPC Fire Weather Outlooks

WPC Winter Weather Probabilities

Atmospheric Isolines

  • Sea Level Pressure (SLP) – Displays pressure contours to help identify systems such as highs, lows, and fronts
  • Geopotential Height Isolines – Visualizes height contours of pressure surfaces, supporting upper-air analysis and forecasting

Current Limitations

  • Monitoring and alerting are not supported on these overlays
  • Geographic coverage is limited and varies by data source
  • Some overlays are only valid for U.S. regions

These layers are intended for visual reference and decision support. For automated tracking, use Insights or other monitored elements.

Need Help?

For questions or feedback on map overlays, contact support@tomorrow.io.  

Was this article helpful?

0 out of 0 found this helpful

Have more questions? Submit a request

Comments

0 comments

Please sign in to leave a comment.