AIRNET
This site is similar to Launchcode site in that it is designed for sport aviators, such as ourselves. Some of the links are the same as Launchcode, but there are some windspeed maps that seem simple and useful for surface wind predictions.
AVIATION WEATHER CENTER (AWC)
This site provides good overall forecast information for pilots. The winds aloft can be obtained at this site under “winds/temps” for Denver. Be sure note whether you are looking at the 6 hour, 12 hour or 24 hour forecasts, and when the prediction was made (what time of day).
BOULDER/FRONT RANGE SOARING FORECAST
This site has lots of great weather information. This particular link will provide the standard soaring information for the day, including the current winds aloft.
COLORADO WEATHER FORECAST
This site has good graphical presentations of the local forecasts and has a wealth of information.
COLORADO WEATHER LINKS
This site has many weather data points collected from around the state listed by County. The Boulder County list includes a Niwot Ridge site, Sugarloaf, as well as many other data points around the county. This site automatically excludes data that is not current, which is an excellent feature. It can also be used for about any site in the state for current surface wind data.
DENVER WINGS ALOFT FORECAST
6-hour, 12-hour, and 24-hour forecast of winds and temperature in Denver (and other areas).
FAA SOARING FORECAST BY PHONE
1-800-WXBRIEF
Enter 2, 22
Soaring Enter 2, 17, NE CO
JETSTREAM
This link shows you the approximate jetstream location for the day. If it appears to be over us in Boulder/Golden, then chances are the winds will be too strong and from the west for us to fly (i.e., keep your wing in the garage today…).
LAUNCH CODE - LAUNCH FORECASTS FOR AIRSPORTS PILOTS
Once on this site, go to the “weather’ option at the top of the page. Click on winds aloft, then Denver, CO. The winds aloft are provided in a very simple fashion to read on this site, and the speeds are reported in miles an hour in a bar graph (as opposed to knots, like most aviation sites) and the wind directions are shown by height in a vector form. If you choose to view the aviation weather forecast option, choose the Broomfield site (for Boulder or Lookout). It is useful for looking at the predicted surface winds for the upcoming days. You can also view Ault, CO if you are going to tow in the plains. (There are other smaller airports on there such as Aspen, CO also.) There is an environmental model and an aviation model you can view. They may vary a bit but give you an idea of what is expected based on the current forecast. The data is presented in a very visually pleasing way that is easy to read quickly.
LOOKOUT WINDTALKER
Lookout Mountain by phone
303-526-5600
MESONET WIND DATA
This site presents REAL time data collected at different locations across the country. Just click on the area you are interested in and see the current weather/wind data that has been collected there.
NCAR FOOTHILLS LAB WEATHER
This site gives good up to the last 5 minutes of actual data collected in central Boulder. It is generally a good place to indicate wind speeds and directions in Boulder. Of course, your own observations at the hill are always needed in addition to this type of information, but it’s a good place to start.
NIWOT RIDGE SITE
Niwot Ridge is located approximately 35 km west of Boulder, Colorado, with the entire study site lying above 3000m elevation. These meteorological data are from the Saddle, at 11,572 ft (or 3528 meter) on Niwot Ridge. It can be used as real data comparisons to the winds aloft forecasts. Note that sometimes this site is not current; therefore, be sure to double check the date and time that the data were collected.
NOAA DISCUSSION SITE
This is a Colorado forecast discussion site and there are 3 major zones that are presented at 3 am and 3 pm each day. Look at NE/North Central Colorado when evaluation Boulder/Golden weather.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS TUTORIALS
This site is nice because it has tutorials about skewT plots and other weather data.
WEATHER.COM
General forecast info site.
"Keep Your Eye on the Sky."
