Wunderground WunderMap

Want a weather map that can do it all?  One that can display almost any kind of weather information that you want, but only when you want to see it?  Wunderground’s WunderMap puts you in complete control of your weather information, letting you see what you want, when you want, where you want.  It can even give you travel directions and let you know what weather to watch out for on your trip!

How to use the WunderMap

1. Go to www.wunderground.com in your web browser.  Click on the Maps and Radar menu across the top of the screen, and then click on WunderMap.
   
2. There are a lot of things that the WunderMap can do, so here’s a quick rundown of its main functions.  The legend below the screenshot will spell all of it out for you.

   1. Back to Wunderground – Click the three white bars here to bring back the main menu options for Wunderground, or click the Wunderground logo to go back to the website’s main page.

   2. Location Search – Click in this box and type in a city, region, or country that you’d like the WunderMap to display, and then press the “Enter” key on your keyboard. You can also click on an option that Wunderground will supply in a drop-down menu that appears, either of a place you’ve looked at recently or one whose name is close to what you’re entering.

   3. Map Controls – Click the arrow buttons here to move the map display in a particular direction. You can also click the “+” and “-” buttons to zoom in or out, allowing you to see a specific area in greater detail or to see trends in a general area more effectively. Finally, you can click Local, Region, or Continent to automatically zoom to that area.

   4. Layers – Click this tab to see what kinds of information you can see on the WunderMap, and whether or not they are currently displayed. Click the check box beside an option to display it or hide it. You can also click the gear icon beside an active option to view additional items for that option.

   5. Trips – This allows you to use the WunderMap to plan a trip. See the “How to plan a trip with WunderMap” section below for more information.

   6. Legends – This shows you what the different information on the WunderMap means, sorted by category. You can also click the check box beside “Show Legend Value at Mouse” to have the WunderMap show you more information about information that appears on the map when you move your mouse over it. For example, if you have the “Radar” layer active, moving your mouse over a colored patch will show you what type of precipitation is in the area (rain, snow, freezing rain, etc.) and how much of it there is.

   7. Time Controls – This toolbar allows you to view how certain weather patterns, like the precipitation radar and satellite cloud cover, change over time. The functions, from left to right, are:
   – Play: Click this to start the map animation for the duration of time that you have chosen, at the speed you have chosen. Click it again to stop it.
   – Forward/Back: Click these buttons to move forward or backward a specific amount of time in the animation.
   – Animation Speed: Click this drop-down menu to choose how fast the animation plays.
   – Animation Duration: Click this drop-down menu to select a common time frame (e.g. last hour, last 4 hours, last 8 hours, etc.) for which you would like to see the map animation on how certain weather patterns have changed.
   – Current: If you have selected a custom animation time frame, you can click this button to go back to seeing time frames for the current day.
   – Calendar: Click this button to bring up a window where you can use a series of drop- down menus to select a custom time frame for the changing weather animation. You can pick the time (to the hour), month, day, and year for both the beginning and end.

   8. General Settings – Click here for options on things like whether to display temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit, what style of map to display (terrain map vs. road map vs. satellite imagery, etc.), or whether to show things like traffic conditions or territorial boundaries.

   9. Info – Click here for further help on how to use the WunderMap, let Wunderground know what you think about the WunderMap, instructions on how to use the Time Controls toolbar, and how far into the past or future the WunderMap can show you weather changes.

How to plan a trip with WunderMap

1. With the WunderMap open (repeat step 1 in the above section if it isn’t), click on the Trips tab.
2. You’ll use the window below to set up your trip information.  Click in the box marked “A” and type in where you’re leaving from. Then, click in the box marked “Departure Date” and select the date when you’ll be leaving, and the drop-down menu beside it to select the time you’ll be leaving. Then click in the box marked “B” and type in where you’re going. Click Add Another Destination and repeat the process if you’re going to more than one place.
   You can also click the drop-down menu marked “Travel By” and select your method of travel. When you’re done, click Get Directions & Weather.
3. You’ll now see a new view of the WunderMap that will show you a route from your start point to your end point, and what the weather will be like along the way.  In this example, our departure point is Boston, Massachusetts and our destination point is New York City, New York.Click Clear Results to erase this trip and plan a new one, or click one of the buttons below this to select a different route, if there is one available.

   The information below these two items will give you the directions you need to follow to get from your departure point to your destination point, how long it will approximately take, and any potentially hazardous weather you may have to deal with along the way.

And that’s a basic rundown of how to use Wunderground’s WunderMap!