Help

Welcome to the help page! Here you will find frequently asked questions, information about how to use the site, and tips and tricks to get the most out of our products! New information will be added here frequently over the coming months, so check back often to see what’s new!

Where do you get your data?
Why isn’t my city on your map?
The data looks wrong / the color scale looks crazy!
Why do the maps only update every hour?
Are you really meteorologists or just hobbyists?
Why does the forecast only update once a week?
Can you add _____ map / product?
Can I share your maps on social media?

1. Where do you get your data?

All data for our plots comes directly from the National Weather Service (NWS) Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS). The color gradient on the rainfall graphics is a multi-sensor, quality-controlled precipitation estimate obtained from the NWS River Forecast Center (RFC).

2. Why isn’t my city on your map?

Because our data comes directly from the National Weather Service, we are only able to include cities that have an automated reporting station close by. These are often co-located with airports and landing strips.

3. The data looks wrong / The color scale looks crazy!

While we do our best to filter out bad data, a faulty report will occasionally slip through in our graphics. This can produce some pretty spectacular color gradients and are usually very obvious. Normally, these errors are corrected on the next update or within a few days at most. If you feel a report is a few degrees (percent, mb, etc) off from your exact location, it is likely that conditions at the automated station are slightly different than where you are located.

4. Why do the maps only update every hour?

Unfortunately, most of the NWS ASOS network only updates on an hourly basis. A few sites do update every 20 minutes, and we are looking into possibly updating our graphics accordingly to get the extra data. However, it is unclear if this would provide acceptable results.

5. Are you really meteorologists or just hobbyists?

Everyone here at Arkansas Weather Report are indeed professional meteorologists. Many of us have backgrounds with the National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, Radar Operations Center, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Note that none of the maps or information presented here are in any way produced, quality-checked, or affiliated with the National Weather Service or any of the other branches listed previously.

6. Why does the forecast only update once a week?

Writing detailed and accurate forecasts takes a considerable amount of time. While we would like to update this product more often, please remember that this is a free service. As such our staff all have other full-time jobs that limit the amount of time we can put into maintaining this product. We are looking into possibly producing an automated forecast product, but this is not presently a priority.

7. Can you add ____ map / product?

We are always looking for new products / services to add to our arsenal. If you have an idea that’s not covered within this FAQ, feel free to Contact Us and we’ll look into it!

8. Can I share your maps on social media?

Absolutely! All we ask is that you leave the logo and copyright information intact in the corner of the image. Although not required, we would love it if you included a link to our website and / or Facebook page in your post as well!

Still have questions? Please Contact Us and we’ll do our best to answer them!