wXL23 vs Whumpf

For USA Weather only: wXL23 is a free, no-ads, and open-source ( GNU GPLv3 / APL2.0 ) advanced weather application that is geared towards storm chasers, meteorologists, and weather enthusiasts. NWS ( National Weather Service ) data is optimized for mobile format and provided for divisions not normally covered together in the mobile space: SPC, WPC, NHC, OPC, etc. Level 3 Nexrad radar (single, dual, quad pane). This weather app is not affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. If you *only* need current conditions and your local 7 day forecast then this app is probably more then you need although it will easily provide those 2 things as well. If you are looking for wasted screen real estate or fancy graphics this app is not for you. Given the depth of information covered there is a steep learning curve if you seek to use the program in it's entirety, help information is available and touched on below. Common weather acronyms are used throughout so you should be familiar with those as well. Currently United States locations are supported. - Current forecast, 7 day conditions, sounding data for an unlimited number of locations from NWS. - Customizable home screen - Metal based Nexrad radar interface with numerous options. 2 pane and 4 pane version also available in MISC tab. - Optimized text product viewer for easy access to AFD, HWO and others from any NWS WFO. - Vis/IR/WV/Radar mosaic viewer ( with animations ). - SPC products (such as Watches/MCDs/Convective Outlooks/Mesoanalysis) - WPC products - Weather models - NHC products NOTE: iPhone 5s or newer required for Nexrad radar viewer.

Whumpf puts the avalanche forecast for every zone you care about on one screen, side by side, with the weather to check it against. When you've picked where to go, Heading Out leaves a trip plan with the people at home and reminds them if you don't check in. COMPARE ZONES ACROSS CENTERS - Pick zones from any Alaska avalanche center and see the danger at all three elevation bands next to each other. From Anchorage that means Hatcher Pass, Turnagain and Valdez at a glance. - Avalanche problems with their likelihood, size, and the aspects and elevations they're on, plus the forecaster's bottom line. - Nearby weather stations and SNOTEL sites: temperature, wind and gusts, new snow and water content over 24 or 72 hours, next to the NWS point forecast. - Recent field observations from the center for each zone. - Page back through the last few days to see how the picture changed. THE FORECAST, EVERY MORNING - Each morning you get a notification for each of your saved zones with the danger at all three elevation bands and a line of station weather. - The full forecast downloads with the notification, even if the app was closed, so it's already on your phone when you lose service at the trailhead. - Your saved zones are stored on your phone and refreshed in the background. HEADING OUT: LEAVE A TRIP PLAN Before you go, Whumpf builds the trip plan a search and rescue team asks for: where you parked, with a map pin; your route and backup plans; who's in the party; what you're wearing and carrying; your vehicle; your satellite messenger's share page; and medical details. - Fill in your profile once and every plan after that is prefilled. Pick the area, set your times, choose your contacts, send. - Your contacts get a link to a page that opens on any phone, no app needed, with everything in the order a rescuer will ask for it and who to call. - Set a back-by time and a worry-by time. If you haven't checked in by then, Whumpf emails your contacts and calls them with an automated message. - Running late? A contact can push the worry-by time back from the page. Whoever hears from you, or calls for help, marks it there and the other contacts see it. - Optional: share your live location with those contacts for that trip only. It stops when you check in, and the trail is deleted with the plan. - Check in with one tap when you're back. FILE AN OBSERVATION Write up what you saw in the field, with photos and the location, and send it to your avalanche center through the center's own form, filled in with what you wrote where the form allows. Or email it with a PDF copy and your photos, or just keep the PDF. No account, no sign-in, free. Forecast data comes from the National Avalanche Center and its member centers. Always read the full forecast from your local avalanche center before making travel decisions. Whumpf does not replace the source forecast. It never contacts rescuers itself: your contacts decide when to call, and their page tells them how. Whumpf is the sound a collapsing weak layer makes underfoot: one of the clearest signs the snowpack is unstable.