Recently I had some of my readers comment that they thought that The Weather Channel and USA Today (which uses TWC graphics) temperature maps seemed to look “hotter”. They suspected that the colors had changed. I tend to watch such things since my own company (IntelliWeather) produces similar maps.
I searched Google images for some saved older TWC maps, but found none. So I can’t be absolutely sure they have or have not changed. But looking at the color scheme, nothing sticks out in my recollection of the temperature map colors.
But I decided that it would be an interesting exercise to compare USA national temperature maps from the commonly used services today. I saved national CURRENT temperature isotherms/gradient maps from around 03Z (11PM Eastern Time) tonight. All were generated within about an hour of each other.
What I found was surprising. Here they are in alphabetical order:
Intellicast: (probably the ugliest national temp map I’ve ever seen)
IntelliWeather:
NOAA-NWS:
Unisys:
Weather Central:
Weather Channel:
WeatherForYou:
Weather Underground:
A couple of notes on the graphics: The Weather Channel does not show their color key, nor does IntelliCast. From experience it appears the with the exception of the IntelliWeather map, all maps have fixed color schemes. The IntelliWeather map uses a sliding scale of color based on the max and min temps presented in the data. Also, I tried to include AccuWeather, but could not locate a current national temperature map from that company. They had everything else but that.
UPDATE: I decided that even though AccuWeather did not have a CURRENT temperature map, the color and color key on their HIGH TEMPERATURE FORECAST map would suffice for this comparison, since it a similar range of temperatures presented, from (50’s to 90’s) so here it is:
Note the color scale and where the perceived “cooler” colors start on the AccuWeather map.
So what do you think?
Is it just me or does there appear to be a warm bias in the color temperature presentation of the majority of providers shown here? Just an FYI, I designed my color scheme for the IntelliWeather Map in 2001, well before I started blogging, so please no suggestions that I skewed this comparison with my own map color scheme.
Along those lines, I’ll point out that the color choices are usually done either by a meteorologist, or a graphic artist/programmer or both. Usually the color scheme is the result of the input from a couple people. In my case, myself and my graphic artist made the choice. In places like TWC or AccuWeather, the choice may be made initially by one or two then approved by a larger group.
The point I’m trying to make is that each map represents the color and temperature perception of the presenting organization, as I don’t know of any “standard” for map colors used for air temperature presentation. Having said that, somebody will probably put one in front of me that I’ve never known about. 😉
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Accuweather maps are here
From the main page, mouse over Maps on the navigation bar across the top of the page, select Temperature, and then select the map you want.
REPLY: High or low forecast maps, no current temps, been there done that
VERY good post. keep it up.
Warm bias? If you just ‘see’ the colors, it looks like we’re in the midst of a great heatwave with the Unisys map the worst of all, giving an impression of the country in the midst of a great heat wave with temps in the mid-90s {just from the heat generated by the colors}. The NOAA map looks most realistic, with the greens feeling comfortable. I like their color scale the most. Pity we can’t see a pre-AGW color map.
What a bunch of weasels. Cheap bunch of propagandistic, Karl Marx worshipping, goosesteppers, bent on turning the weather into their vehicle to ultimate power.
Nice find Anthony. This post is just the ticket I need to turn some youngsters from the darkside over on the pages of the Bee.
Tell you the truth, the pictures are kind of scary, especially since you lined all those red maps one after the other.
For IntelliMap, I wonder why you choose to display entire band of purple, green, blue, red rather than have the map color reflect the color chart of the current temperature. Wouldn’t that make more sense?
Sylvia
REPLY: No I don’t think it would, because then you can never see at a glance where cool areas are. Just look at all the other maps. A sliding color scale makes more sense to me, but what the heck do I know?
You may want to check with USA today. As far as I know they were among the first for a colour printed national paper with a weather temp map in every issue. Let’s see if they changed from their inception to now…
Actually, I like your map the best – the Intelliweather one. And I’m not kissing ass either. I have no stake in it. I like the sliding scale because you can tell at a glance how the air is moving across/over the country.
As for the rest (all but the Intelliweather and the NOAA), it’s like they’ve added gradations of more oranges to make anything above 50 seem like a heat wave.
Historical maps for some of these weather sites are available from the Wayback Machine at this site.
http://www.archive.org/index.php
Go to the site, enter the appropriate URL in the field provided, and you will get links to corresponding archived web pages arranged by date. For example, by entering the following URL
http://www.wunderground.com/US/Region/US/2xTemperature.html
I was able to view an archived copy of Weather Underground’s national temperature map from August 15, 2000.
For the weather channel I entered this URL
http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/currentweatherusnational/uscurrenttemperatures_large.html
Clicking on the resulting links for the Weather Channel’s archived web pages were not consistent. Some of them took me to today’s map, which immediately went blank. However, the Feb 15, 2001 link took me to a map for June 3, 2001.
Have a look and see what you think.
The problem with all temperature maps comes down to whether you want to show temps relative to each other, relative to the season or relative to the norm.
Hence @ur momisugly accuweather it’s all red (season), at yours it appears to be each other and TWC and the rest seasonal. (IMHO)
It’s extremely difficult thing to do because many people find the change in colour shades a little awkward to percieve accurately.
never the less they are all good a
My personal assessment:
I) SUMMARY
BEST – most non-manipulative, accurately conveying:
WeatherForYou, (just recolour Mex and Can!).
Then followed by Weather Channel
WORST – most misleading and blurred
Unysis
Environ-Stalinist’s favorite:
Unysis and then Accu-Weather
Country looks red-hot and oven-dried!!
(Water! water! – I need water!…gasp! arghhh!…)
AGW dissenter’s favorite:
Intelliweather and NOAA
(Brrrrr! – take a jacket!)
Wettest looking map:
NOAA
(I get an April showers feeling)
Dryest looking map:
Unysis, then followed by AccuWeather and Weather Underground.
Country looks hot, baked and dried
Most boring map:
Accu-Weather, then Weather Underground, Unysis and NOAA
Prettiest:
IntelliWeather
Ugly Duckling:
Intellicast
II) GENERAL COMMENTS with school grades:
Intellicast:
You really have to concentrate and “read” it to discern the area temperatures. And you’re right: it’s ugly ugly ugly! Grade: C-
Intelliweather:
Pretty, but the colour scheme makes you think it’s wintertime in the North, and only springtime in the south. At first glance it misleads the reader into thinking it’s cool outside. Grade: B
NOAA-NWS:
Looks springlike and wet. It’s similar to Intelliweather’s…misleads the reader into thinking it’s “cool” outside, and no numbers. Grade C
Unisys:
Looks like someone dropped a nuclear HOT bomb on it. It’s got to be the favourite of the AGW loons, as it makes the whole country look like it’s red-hot everywhere. I feel thirsty all of a sudden! Grade: D-
Weather Central:
Looks neither hot nor cold. In fact you’d think the temperature variations nationwide are minimal. Grade: B-
Weather Channel:
Although not the prettiest, it’s probably the one that conveys what the temperature really is like outside. The numerical temps make this map almost impossible to misread, or to be misinterpreted. Grade B+
(Use a different colour for Mex and Can!)
WeatherForYou:
Also conveys what the temperature really is like outside, without exaggerating one way or the other. The numerical temps make this map almost impossible to be misinterpreted too. Grade A-
Weather Underground:
Also has a good graphic scheme that doesn’t mislead the reader. At first glance I neither get a frigid nor sizzling feeling. But no numbers or conditions, and it’s boring. Grade C
AccuWeather:
It’s high temp-map colour scheme uses only red and orange. It gives me a hot and dry feeling. I think temps in the 60s and 70s ought to be represented by greener tones, No numbers, no conditions. Grade: D+
Good post Anthony!
This one was fun!
I never thought that anyone could “spin” the weather. Silly me.
The use of graphics to mislead lay-people (like me) has been explored by John Brignell at Number Watch.
http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/chartmanship.htm
The use of a colour spectrum from blue (cool & calm) to red (hot & bothered) is used extensively, even by ostensibly respectable sources.
http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/silo/reg/cli_chg/timeseries.cgi?variable=tmean®ion=aus&season=0112
Here is a site for Japan:
http://www.jma.go.jp/jp/amedas/
Great point, from looking at the various maps, it is pretty obvious that although the temps are basically the same across all the maps, the ones from sources “pushing AGW agenda” tend to have more traditional hotter colors.
I have used links to your intelliweather maps in some local discussion boards with the twist on the “blue vs red states” to show where the cooler weather is.
Keep up the great work.
P.S. Anthony, I’m working on an article concerning that I call “The Great Trans-Siberian Heat Wave” and how the supposed recent “global warming” in northern Asia is basically driving average global temps, especially GISS. What would I need to do to submit that for consideration for posting on your website?
REPLY: Send it via email, see my email address coming to your inbox. One requirement to have it published: you have to use your real name. I won’t allow any publication under cowardly non de plumes.
If I recall correctly, TWC uses (or did use) different color maps for summer and winter. In winter highs in the 70’s are red and 60’s are yellow, in summer 90’s are red and 80’s are yellow. However, I do not watch TWC anymore, our cable system has 24 hr weather and I use links to local doppler radar and tropical weather updates. Since I now live in Florida, I really don’t care what the weather is anywhere else where as before when I lived in New England I was always interested in the Florida weather.
Most of the weather agncies sell ads, not weather news.
If a summertime temp map has a lot of blue on it ( and I do think 60 degrees is cold for a summer high ) then how can you have an ad for Lemonade or a new AC unit?
Ditto for winter temps.
I LOVE this entry. I’ve been pointing this out to my friends for over a year and was wondering if I was going crazy. Apparently not! Entries like this are why I check this page every day…keep it up!
This is an interesting comparison. One thing that sticks out to me is the large amount of smoothing that’s done with most of these maps. Compare, for example, the NOAA temperature map (the most highly resolved of the set) with the weatherunderground’s map. If you compare the temperatures in California, you see the detail in the NOAA map shows the cooler temperatures in the mountains, hotter temperatures in the desert areas, etc. This is totally missed in the weatherunderground map. In fact, I would venture to say that the weatherunderground map is misleading, and thus wouldn’t view it as an accurate quantitative presentation.
In addition, I think all of the maps should have a color bar which shows the relationship between the colors and the temperature. Otherwise, the contours presented are truly useless, and only give us an qualitative, approximate view of actual temperatures. Of course, we could talk about what the “actual” temperature really is, but that would lead us back to the surface stations project, right? :^).
Keep up the good work, Anthony.
Frank K.
I dunno. The only time I look at a national temperature chart is when I’m travelling and then I want to know how the temperature ‘there’ compares to ‘here’. As such, I would find it confusing if it turned out that 85 and 90 degrees were depicted much differently. Other than that, I could care less about how nice (or not) the temperatures are in Boise, ID or where the best golfing/sailing/suntanning is today. It’s not like I’m about to jump into my Gulfstream for some early afternoon fun and just need to know where.
Frankly, I find these far more useful even when I’m not flying. Once upon a time, similar displays were used on even TV weather forecasts.
But I realize I’m an exception. Most people just want to ‘know’ tomorrow’s temperature and chance of precip.
8 of 9 look hotter.
I have struggled with this concept myself. I used to work on a energy trading floor and discussed visualization with our meteorologists on a regular basis. On the temperature maps, they would produce a map that was only shades of blue andred, but would keep the color consistent across the year – I liked the consistency, but thought the rest of the color spectrum should be used as well.
This and the it references discuss the idea of perception of color and the impact in visualization. Sounds like it would be good read for meteorologists.
I have struggled with this concept myself. I used to work on a energy trading floor and discussed visualization with our meteorologists on a regular basis. On the temperature maps, they would produce a map that was only shades of blue andred, but would keep the color consistent across the year – I liked the consistency, but thought the rest of the color spectrum should be used as well.
This blog post at Flowing Data and the paper it references discuss the idea of perception of color and the impact in visualization. Sounds like it would be good read for meteorologists.
At first glance when you see green on temperature map do you think of a comfortable temperature, no heating or cooling needed, or the temperature inside of your refrigerator?
IMO the NOAA-NWS is the best of the bunch, a good combination of regional detail and readability. (Sorry Anthony)
I don’t believe I’m saying this, but I like the NOAA color scheme. I think most people would see 70 deg temps as optimal, and green is a “good” color (green grass, green = go, green = ok). I can look at that map and see where I would be hot, or where I would want a jacket.