A comprehensive desktop application for severe weather monitoring and emergency communications in Colorado
📥 Download Latest Release • 📖 Documentation • 🌐 Live Gallery
- Overview
- Key Features
- Screenshots
- Installation
- Usage
- Features in Detail
- Contributing
- Acknowledgments
- License
The Colorado Severe Weather Network Toolkit is a specialized GUI application designed for meteorologists, storm spotters, emergency managers, and weather enthusiasts operating in Colorado and surrounding regions. It provides centralized access to critical weather resources, real-time data, and forecasting tools from the National Weather Service (NWS), Storm Prediction Center (SPC), and other authoritative sources.
- ⚡ Rapid Access - All critical weather resources in one unified interface
- 🎯 Colorado-Focused - Tailored for CO's unique weather patterns and NWS offices
- 🔄 Real-Time Updates - Live weather alerts, radar, and satellite imagery
- 📡 Net Control Ready - Built-in script generator for amateur radio weather nets
- 🌙 Dark/Light Modes - Comfortable viewing in any environment
- 🖥️ Cross-Platform - Windows, macOS, and Linux support
- Automatically generates daily net control scripts
- Includes AFD and HWO from all 5 partner NWS offices (BOU, PUB, GJT, CYS, GLD)
- Customizable parameters to keep information relevant
- Perfect for ARES/RACES operations
-
Storm Prediction Center Integration
- Convective Outlooks (Day 1-8)
- Mesoscale Discussions
- Watch/Warning Polygons
- Storm Reports Archive
- Mesoanalysis Tools
-
Real-Time Alerts
- Colorado-specific weather alerts
- County-level warnings
- Interactive alert maps
- NEXRAD Radar (Multiple sources)
- GOES-16/19 Satellite Imagery
- RGB Cloud Detail Products
- Zoom Earth Real-Time View
- Ventusky Radar/Satellite
- Tropical Tidbits Integration
-
NWS Products
- Area Forecast Discussions (AFD)
- Hazardous Weather Outlooks (HWO)
- Graphical Forecasts (NDFD)
- Weather Prediction Center (WPC)
-
Model Data
- HRRR (High-Resolution Rapid Refresh)
- NAM NEST
- College of DuPage Model Viewers
- Tropical Tidbits Model Graphics
- Mesowest Station Data
- mPing Reports
- NWS Enhanced Data Display (EDD)
- Surface Observations
- Skywarn Spotter Training Materials
- Field Guide Access
- Spotter Checklist
- COMET MetEd Training Links
 Active Alerts |
 SPC Products |
 GOES Satellite |
 Toolkit Tab |
Choose your platform from the latest release:
# Download and extract
CSWN-Toolkit-v3.1.0-windows.zip
# Run the executable
CSWN-toolkit.exe# Download the DMG
CSWN-Toolkit-v3.1.0-macos.dmg
# Install and run# Download and extract
tar -xzf CSWN-Toolkit-v3.1.0-linux.tar.gz
# Make executable
chmod +x CSWN-Toolkit-linux-x86_64
# Run
./CSWN-Toolkit-linux-x86_64
# Or use AppImage (if available)
chmod +x CSWN-Toolkit-*.AppImage
./CSWN-Toolkit-*.AppImage- Python 3.8 or higher
- Internet connection
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/W5ALC/Colorado-Severe-Weather.git
cd Colorado-Severe-Weather
# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Run the application
python3 Colorado-Severe-Weather.pyPyQt6
PyQt6-WebEngine
requests
beautifulsoup4
pillow
- Launch the application using your preferred method
- Explore the tabs to familiarize yourself with available resources
- Check the alerts tab for any active Colorado weather alerts
- Generate a net script if conducting weather net operations
- Navigate to "SPC & Severe" tab for convective outlooks
- Check "Alerts" for active warnings in your area
- Use "Radar/Satellite" for real-time storm tracking
- Access "Skywarn Resources" for field guide and checklist
- Open the "Toolkit" tab
- Click "Generate Net Script"
- Script includes current AFD and HWO from all CO NWS offices
- Customize parameters as needed for your net
- Review "AFD" tab for detailed forecast discussions
- Check "HWO" for hazardous weather outlooks
- Analyze "Models" tab for HRRR and other model data
- Monitor "Observations" for current conditions
Ctrl+R- Refresh current viewCtrl+D- Toggle dark/light modeCtrl+Q- Quit applicationF11- Toggle fullscreen
The script generator creates professional, organized net control scripts including:
- Date and time automatically populated
- Current weather alerts for Colorado
- Area Forecast Discussions from:
- Boulder (BOU)
- Pueblo (PUB)
- Grand Junction (GJT)
- Cheyenne (CYS)
- Goodland (GLD)
- Hazardous Weather Outlooks from all offices
- Customizable sections for your specific net requirements
CSWN Toolkit covers all NWS offices serving Colorado:
| Office | Coverage Area | Callsign |
|---|---|---|
| Boulder | North Central CO | BOU |
| Pueblo | Southeast CO | PUB |
| Grand Junction | Western CO | GJT |
| Cheyenne | Northeast CO | CYS |
| Goodland | Eastern Plains | GLD |
- NWS API - Official weather alerts and forecasts
- SPC - Severe weather outlooks and discussions
- GOES-R - Latest satellite imagery
- NEXRAD - Real-time radar data
- Mesowest - Surface observations
Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:
- Check if the issue already exists in Issues
- Create a new issue with:
- Clear description of the problem
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected vs actual behavior
- Screenshots if applicable
- Your OS and Python version
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/AmazingFeature) - Open a Pull Request
# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/Colorado-Severe-Weather.git
# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
# Install development dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
pip install pytest pylint black
# Run tests
pytest tests/
# Format code
black *.pyThis project wouldn't be possible without these excellent resources:
- National Weather Service - Weather forecasts, alerts, and data
- Storm Prediction Center - Severe weather outlooks and analysis
- College of DuPage - NEXRAD radar and model visualizations
- NOAA GOES - Satellite imagery
- Mesowest - Surface observations
- Tropical Tidbits - Model graphics and analysis
- PyQt6 - Cross-platform GUI framework
- Beautiful Soup - HTML parsing
- Requests - HTTP library
- Skywarn - Storm spotter program
- ARES/RACES - Amateur radio emergency services
- Colorado Amateur Radio Community - Testing and feedback
This project is licensed under the "It's Not That Serious" v1 License.
In plain English: Feel free to use, modify, and distribute this software. No warranties provided. Don't blame me if something breaks. Attribution appreciated but not required.
- Issues/Bugs: GitHub Issues
- Discussions: GitHub Discussions
- Callsign: W5ALC
- Email: Available on QRZ.com
- Push notifications for severe weather alerts
- Historical storm report database
- Integration with ham radio logging software
- Mobile companion app
- Offline mode with cached data
- Custom alert zones and filters
- APRS integration for storm spotters
- v3.1.0 (Current) - Enhanced UI, added GOES-19 support
- v3.0.0 - Major rewrite with PyQt6, dark mode
- v2.1.0 - Added net script generator
- v2.0.0 - Multi-platform support
- v1.0.0 - Initial release
See CHANGELOG.md for detailed version history.
If you find this project useful, please consider giving it a star! It helps others discover the tool.
Made with ⚡ by W5ALC for the Colorado weather community