CNN.com - HELP

HELP/WEATHER

Frequently Asked Questions about Weather

• Where does CNN.com get its weather data?
• How many locations does CNN.com weather service cover?
• What types of forecast information does CNN.com provide?
• What are the current conditions?
• Why are the current conditions forecasts off?
• How many days are included in your forecasts?
• How accurate are the long-range forecasts?
• What is the "feels like" temperature?
• What is barometric pressure?
• How do I search for a city?
• Why are you showing me these weird cities on the homepage?
• Why can't I find my city?
• Can I personalize my weather?
• Can I store more than one location?
• How do I edit my saved locations?
• Can I choose between Celsius and Fahrenheit?
• What types of maps does CNN.com provide?
• Why aren't there any International radar maps?
• Does CNN.com have any allergy data?
• Does CNN.com have any beach/UV data?
• I have read the FAQs, but am still having an issue. Where can I log a support request?

WEATHER FAQ:

Where does CNN.com get its weather data?

CNN.com has a partnership with Accuweather to provide the weather data for our website. Accuweather has a team of meteorologists who analyze the weather data provided by the National Weather Service to deliver accurate forecast information.

CNN.com provides complete and accurate weather forecasts for more than 50,000 cities in the United States and around the world. Additional cities are continually being added to the system, as data becomes available.

CNN.com currently includes the following information in our forecasts:

Current conditions

"Feels like"

Sunrise/Sunset

Humidity

Wind speed/direction

Barometric pressure

Tonight's forecast (low temperature)

10-day forecast (condition and high/low temperature)

Satellite maps

Radar maps

Temperature maps

Forecast maps

Allergy maps

UV maps

The current conditions data tells you what the weather is like right now. This information can be found at the top-center of the weather forecast page. Current conditions includes the temperature, what the temperature really feels like ("feels like"), the wind speed/direction, humidity, barometric pressure, and time of last update.

Although our forecasts are for tens of thousands of unique points, Accuweather relies upon the National Weather Service for current condition reports. Each city is related to the nearest (in mileage) official NWS reporting station, or an estimation of what is going on between them, and these only come in once per hour. For some locations, especially in the West, this can lead to a current data report that is not directly in your backyard, but where the weather at that moment is different.

CNN.com provides a 10-day forecast for each location in the weather system.

There have been tremendous improvements in the accuracy of longer range forecasts over the past several years. A forecast for the 7th day today is as accurate as it was for the 4th or 5th day 10 years ago. Inevitably, a forecast for the 15th day is not going to be as accurate as a forecast for today or tomorrow. The best advice would be to look for trends of the weather from days 5-10, such as it being warmer or colder, sunny or rainy.

CNN.com's "feels like" temperature comes from Accuweather's patented, exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature -- an index that describes what the temperature really feels like. It's a unique composite of everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels, and measures the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation and elevation on the human body.

Temperature by itself gives only part of the picture. Other weather measurements, like Wind Chill or Heat Index, include only the temperature and one additional element like wind speed or humidity. Many measures are designed to rate effects on an inanimate object or an unclothed person, so they don't tell what it really feels like to someone who is appropriately dressed. Only the AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature includes every measurement relative to how the temperature feels to a person.

For example, on a steamy July day without a breath of wind and with the noon sun beating down, the official temperature (which is measured in the shade) may be 92 degrees. But when you stand outside in the humidity and scorching sun, it may feel like 118 degrees. In contrast, when the official temperature is 92 degrees with a nice breeze, low humidity and bright sunshine, but late in the day so the sun intensity is not as strong, it may feel like 86 degrees.

Barometric pressure is a measure of the pressure in the atmosphere.

You can search for weather by visiting the CNN.com homepage. Look for the "Weather" box and enter either a U.S. ZIP code or any city name in the U.S. or around the world. Once you've selected a city on the homepage, you can then click on the forecast to go to the full forecast page. You also have the option of browsing for a city. Simply use the "select locations from a list" pulldowns on the forecast page and follow the instructions to narrow down your selection.

We have selected several random cities to display by default on our homepage to demonstrate our offering. The rest is up to you. All you have to do is enter your preferred city so you can get personalized weather and local headlines for your city.

CNN.com provides complete and accurate weather forecasts for more than 50,000 cities in the United States and around the world. That obviously means that we don't have weather forecasts for every single city out there. But additional cities are continually being added to the system, as data becomes available. If you feel that you've found some errors in the cities that we provide, please contact us with more details.

Yes, you have several different options for personalization. You can click on the "personalize your weather" link in the top navigation bar. That will take you to a forecast page where you can search for the city of your choosing. Once you've found your city, simply click "make default" and everywhere you go on the site, you'll see the current temperature/conditions in the top navigation. You can also store up to 5 different locations on your forecast page so whether you are a business traveler or just a weather nut, you can quickly and easily see what the weather is like anywhere around the world. You can also search for a city in the weather box on the homepage. Once you've selected a city there, it will be personalized and displayed every time you visit the homepage.

If you'd like to change your preferred location, you can either use the "edit" link on the forecast page or the "change" link in the weather box on the homepage.

Personalize your weather now.

Yes, you can store up to 5 locations. Just search or browse for more cities and then click the "save location" next to the city name. You can see all of your cities in the "Saved Locations" box on the forecast page.

If you visit the forecast page, you can edit all of your saved locations. In the "Saved Locations" box, you'll see an "edit" link. Once you click that, you will be able to delete any of your saved locations. You can also quickly and easily make any location your default location. Once you've made your changes, make sure you click the "save" link.

CNN.com provides weather data in both Celsius and Fahrenheit. You can set your preference by choosing either the C or F links in the top right corner of the forecast page. Once you make a selection, the system will remember your preference and display all weather data appropriately. If at any point you would like to change your preference, you can always change your selection on the forecast page.

CNN.com offers many different types of maps including:

International satellite maps

U.S. national satellite map

U.S. regional satellite maps

U.S. state satellite maps

U.S. national radar map

U.S. regional radar maps

U.S. state radar maps

Regional temperature maps

Regional forecast maps

U.S. allergy maps

U.S. beach/UV maps

Currently the National Weather Service does not have any radars with International coverage, so the only radar maps available are for the U.S.

Yes, CNN.com currently provides U.S. allergy maps for overall pollen, grass pollen, weed pollen, tree pollen, and air quality. Visit the allergy report.

Yes, CNN.com currently provides a U.S. beach/UV map that displays the current UV index across the country. Visit the UV Report.

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