Weather Commands

The computers in the Atmospheric Sciences Department allow the user to access a wide range of weather information. If you have your own computer account, you can also access any text information via modem and PC at home. (to run a command that outputs graphics you must be running an X-Windows emulator and a communication package such as SLIP.) This manual is organized as follows:

In the following text, commands will be shown in bold lettering and arguments will be in italics. The commands should be entered exactly as shown in lowercase letters. When specified, a command may require the following arguments:

Usually an argument of the form "yymmddhh" can be specified in abbreviated form. For example, if today is the 28th of January and you want to look at local observations at 18 GMT on the 25th of January, you need only enter "nw 2518" where the year and month default to their current values. The following arguments are all examples of valid specifications of the yymmddhh argument:

93121506 121506 1506 06

The omitted elements on the left side of each argument default to their current values.

If an argument is enclosed in brackets [ ] it is optional and omitting it will cause the command to use a default value which for the time is almost always the current of latest time.

Many commands require you to know a station ID. If you do not know the station ID use the command

stnid name

where name can be any keyword of the location you want. You will also find all the station and buoy IDs in a yellow binder located in the maproom.

When noted, a command may have a `man' (manual) page associated with it. A man page provides additional information about the command. It can be accessed by typing

man command

Also, by appending "-h" to a command a "help screen" will often appear.

1.0 Current Observations, Summaries, and Tables

1.1 Aviation Reports

t stn undecoded time series for any aviation hourly station in North America. The command prompts you to input the start time, end time, and time interval (in hours). If nothing is entered at each prompt a default value is used. The defaults are: start is 18 hrs prior to the current time, end is the current time, interval is 1 hr.

td stn same as above but in decoded format for easier reading.

tdd stn shortcut command for abtaining a decoded time series for the past 18 hours.

nw [yymmddhh] lists decoded station observations grouped by to geographic sub-regions in WA, OR, and southwest BC. Only the minimum amount of date/time information need be given. (For example, if you want 21 UTC observations, type "21" in the time field and the most recent 21 UTC observations are displayed.)

pirep stn [ddhh] pilot reports from airport stn for a six hour period beginning with the requested day and hour.

You can also get the most recent aviation observation by typing only the three letter station ID of the following stations:

ast Astoria, OR

bfi Seattle, WA (Boeing Field)

bli Bellingham, WA

eat Wenatchee, WA

geg Spokane, WA

hms Hanford, WA

hqm Hoquiam, WA

nuw Whidbey Island NAS, WA

olm Olympia, WA

pae Everett, WA (Paine Field)

pdx Portland, OR

sea Seattle, WA (Seattle-Tacoma Int'l AP)

smp Stampede Pass, WA

uil Quillayute, WA

ykm Yakima, WA

The command will display nothing if the report is not available.

1.2 Coastal and Buoy Observations

To determine the names and IDs of Coast Guard observation stations, CMAN (Coastal Marine) stations, or buoys, refer to the yellow notebook in the maproom. Some of the coastal station IDs are four characters long and should be entered as four characters, not three. The command td stn (mentioned above) should be used if a decoded report at a coastal station or buoy is desired.

wacst most recent coastal observations from the Puget Sound area.

tcu stn time series for Coast Guard stations in the United States.

tcc stn time series for coastal observing stations in Canada.

tb stn hourly time series for any fixed buoy location.

tcm stn time series for any Coastal-Marine Automated Network (CMAN) station.

1.3 Cascades and Olympics

aval [yymmddhh] hourly reports for the 24 hour preceding the specified time from automated stations in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. (Seasonal information, late November through April, mostly for locations in ski areas.)

hiway the most recent Cascade Mountains pass reports.

th [stn] time series of hydrometeorological reports from any station in the Cascades and Olympics. If the argument is omitted then a listing of all stations is produced. A listing of hydromet. station names is also in the maproom notebook.

hydro [dd] daily hydrometeorological reports from in the Cascades and Olympics (reports are SHEF encoded). A listing of station names is in the maproom notebook.

snotel stn gives the hourly reports from automatic stations in the mountians. These observations include water equivalent of the snowpack (PILLOW) and the total amount of precipitation that has fallen since the start of the water year (oct. 1). To get a listing of available stations, type snotel -l.

1.4 UW Rooftop Observations and Department of Ecology

td uw will give in decoded format the hourly observations from the roof of the Atmospheric Sciences building. An hourly observation represents a ten-minute average for the period immediately preceding the top of the hour.

tecol stn gives the time series of observations at Dept. of Ecology stations. Type "tecol -h" for station list.

uwmin [dd] one-minute time series from sensors on the Atmospheric Sciences rooftop. To search for a specific time, at the `more' prompt, type "/hhmm" with a <return> to move to the data beginning at that time (GMT).

uwtail [#min] gives the last #min minutes of rooftop observations in one-minute increments. The default is 30 minutes.

uwhr [dd] hourly time series and 24 hour summaries. The summaries are given at 00 and 12 GMT. The format of the output is as follows:

Hr, # of 1-minute Samples, Pmin, Pmax, Pmean, Tmin, Tmax, Tmean, Wdir, Wsp, Wgst, Precip, Solrad

1.5 Pressure Gradients

pd [dd] display the pressure differences between various sites in Washington and Oregon for the specified day.

pdgorge [dd] display the pressure differences between various sites located along the Columbia river gorge for the specified day.

1.6 Summaries and Tables

The following commands don't accept any arguments and give only the latest available report. Note that when current data is missing or not available, you will get the old information.

natsum summary of weather conditions across the nation.

wasum summary of weather conditions across Washington.

watab max/min/precip table for Washington stations.

aktab max/min/precip table for Alaska stations.

bctab max/min/precip table for British Columbia stations.

ortab max/min/precip table for Oregon stations.

rnotab max/min/precip table for Nevada stations.

sfotab max/min/precip table for No. California stations.

laxtab max/min/precip table for So. California stations.

phxtab max/min/precip table for Arizona stations.

2.0 Forecasts

2.1 NWS Forecasts

The following commands give the most recent forecast issued by the Seattle NWS forecast office:

wazone most recent zone forecasts for the state of Washington.

wast most recent "state" forecasts for the state of Washington.

waxtnd most recent extended range forecasts for the state of Washington.

wadisc most recent technical discussion giving the reasoning behind the forecasts issued by the Seattle WSFO.

wafp4 or watp most recent max/min/pop for selected cities across Washington. Also obtained by typing "fd sea tp".

wamar most recent marine forecasts for Washington.

rainier most recent Mt. Rainier forecast.

The following two commands give forecasts from any forecast office in the United States and Canada. Further information on the forecast offices and regions of coverage may be obtained by typing "man fd".

fd stn [ttt][dd] the "forecast daily" command gives all the forecasts issued over a 24 hour period. The most recent forecast is listed first.

ttt is the type of forecast desired and may be any one of the following:

xf If you are using a Workstation, or X-terminal you can get any forecasts, discussions, or warnings issued by the NWS by using the "xf" command. This calls the X-Window forecast program which gives any of the above type forecasts in an easy to use "windows" user interface.

2.2 Model Forecasts

ngmf stn [yymmddhh] gives 0-48 hour forecasts for city stn from the NGM model initialized on the day and hour specified by yymmddhh. If the time argument is omitted the most recent date and time are used.

etaf stn [yymmddhh] same as ngmf but for the ETA model.

ngmv stn [yymmddhh] gives the 12, 24, 36, and 48 hour NGM forecasts which are valid at the time specified by yymmddhh. The last line (TT=0) is the verification for the given day and time. This command is useful for comparing how the NGM model forecasts have evolved over the 48 hour period leading up to the verification time (yymmddhh).

etav stn [yymmddhh] same as ngmv but for ETA model.

The above commands produce output using the following abbreviations:

Notes:

- A negative temperature or LI is indicated by values greater than 50. To get the actual value, subtract 100 from the coded value. (Ex: A coded value of 97 would mean a true value of -3 (97-100 = -3).

- The yellow binder in the maproom defines more specifically what sigma levels "low, middle, and upper" refer to.

2.3 Statistical Guidance

nmos [stn] [ddhh] gives NGM Model Output Statistics (MOS)guidance for a given location (stn). When ddhh is omitted, the command gives the most recent forecast. See the maproom notebook for an explanation of terms.

mmos [stn] [dd] MRF MOS city forecast guidance out to eight days.

amos [stn] [ddhh] Aviation MOS guidance for the given city.

If stn is not specified for the above three MOS commands, Seattle (sea) is selected by default.

3.0 Plots and Graphics

The following commands produce graphical output and require that the user be in an X-Window operating environment. For most plots pressing <return> with the mouse pointing in the window will remove the plot and return you to the prompt.

3.1 Surface Observations

map [parameter][location][yymmddhh]

A command to plot surface observations on a map which allows the user to choose the observation parameters, locations of the map, and the time of the plot. For example, to plot a surface map centered on Wenatchee at 18Z today type "map EAT 18". Type "map -h" for more detailed information.

loopmap loop of the maps of surface obs. over western Washington for the past 9 hours. (See section 7.5 for further information on loop control.)

wxplot [-r] plots a map of station surface data over a specified region and time. The -r "research mode" option allows the user to customize the plot and make hardcopies.

mpps [yymmddhh] shows plotted surface map of Puget Sound region. If ddhh is omitted, the most recent time of observation is drawn.

mpwa [yymmddhh] shows plotted surface map of state of Washington.

mppnw [yymmddhh] shows plotted surface map of Pacific Northwest region.

By appending a "_prt" to the previous three commands, output is also sent to your laser printer. (Ex. "mpwa_prt 2112" prints a map of surface observations in Washington at 12 GMT on the 21st of the current month.)

3.2 Soundings

Only certain stations send up radiosondes to collect upper air data. A listing of these stations is in the yellow maproom notebook.

sond stn [yymmddhh] displays a sounding on a pseudo-adiabatic chart.

skewt stn [yymmddhh] displays a sounding on a skew-T chart.

The next two commands plot two soundings on the same chart. One can either plot soundings of the same station at different times or different stations at the same time. The first station is plotted in black, the second in red. All arguments must be provided.

msond stn1 yymmddhh1 stn2 yymmddhh2

mskewt stn1 yymmddhh1 stn2 yymmddhh2

By appending a "_prt" to these four commands, output is also sent to your laser printer. Ex. "msond_prt uil 92122500 uil 92122512" will overlay the 00 and 12 GMT soundings at Quillayute on 25 Dec 1992 and send the output to the printer.

3.3 Historical and Numerical Model Plots

mapview This command allows you to view historical weather maps available from the NMC CD-ROM. Variables you can plot are: sea-level pressure, 850-mb heights, temperature, and wind components, 700-mb heights and temperature, 500-mb heights, 250-mb wind components, and 200-mb heights. For sea-level pressure and 500 mb heights this CD-ROM includes the years 1946-1989. Other data begin in the mid 1960's. This compact disc is normally on-line (located in rm. 623) and available for use. There also is an option to make hardcopies of the maps. For more information see the mapview `man' page.

avis [-t yymmddhh][-l lll][-v vvv][-f ff][-q][-s][-x xdumpfile][outputfile]

plots an isentropic analysis of the most current aviation grid. Variables you can plot are: geopotential height, temperature, U and V wind components, windspeed, Montgomery streamfunction, static stability, pressure, absolute vorticity, and potential vorticity. The default (no arguments) is a plot of potential vorticity of the most recent model run. This program has numerous options which are explained on its `man' page.

ngmis [-t yymmddhh][-l lll][-v vvv][-f ff][-q][-s][-x xdumpfile][outputfile]

same as avis but using NGM data. The options are the same as described on the avis `man' page.

ngmtv [-f ff][-t yymmddhh]

This command creates a plot of 1000-850 mb mean temperature and winds from the NGM initialized on the given date.

-f ff specifies the forecast hour whose value is 0, 12, 24, 36, or 48.

-t yymmddhh gives the initialization date and time and must include year, month, day, and hour.

loopngmtv views a loop of 1000-850 mb mean temperature and winds from the most recent NGM run. The loop cycles through 0 to 48 hour forecasts. (For controlling loops see Section 7.5 "Loop Control" on page15.)

traj The trajectory program allows you to create forward and backward trajectories from NGM-analyzed velocity fields. See the `man' page for specific details in using this program.

3.4 Vertical Cross-Sections

These two commands require that your account be configured to operate GEMPAK commands. Unless you are using the maproom account you will need to speak to Mark Albright about setting up your account to run these commands. Further documentation is given on separate `man' pages.

ngmsx [ cxstns][gfunc][time][yaxis]

The default command (no arguments) creates a spatial cross-section based on the NGM gridded data at the most recent model initial time from a point over the Pacific Ocean (48,-155) to Wenatchee. Geostrophic wind vectors, relative humidity, and temperatures are plotted.

ngmtx [cxstns][gfunc][time][yaxis]

The default command produces a time cross-section analysis for SEA from the most recent NGM 0 to 48 hour forecast. Geostrophic wind vectors, relative humidity, and temperatures are plotted.

3.5 Lightning Data

These two commands use data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) to display the lightning strikes.

ltnw gives a map of lightning strikes for the Pacific Northwest. User will be prompted for the time and date.

map.lightning yymmdd hh gives a map of lightning strikes for the U.S.

3.6 Seattle Profiler

The profiler is at the NOAA facility at Sand Point. The profiler makes use of Doppler radar to measure winds up to about 4 km, and sound waves to measure virtual temperature up to about 1 km.

plotspt [yymmddhh] [time_interval] This command plots the soundings from the profiler, where yymmddhh is the ending time and time_interval is the number of hours between each sounding. Defaults are the latest hour for yymmddhh and 1 hour for time_interval. To remove the plot hit return in the plot window.

Note: The following two commands require that the user be configured to use the GEMPAK software.

sp2c [yymmddhh] [NHRS] gives you a graphical display for the lowest 2 kilometers of time-height cross section of data from the profiler, NHRS is the number of hours contained in the cross section. This number must be larger than 3 in order for the command to work. The default setting is 24 hours of data ending at the current time. To quit type gpend in another window.

sp4c [yymmddhh] [NHRS] same as previous command, but the time-height cross-section of the lowest 4 kilometers.

spwt [yymmddhh] gives both the winds and temperatures at various heights for a 12 hour period ending at the time specified. The default ending time is the most recent hour.

spw [yymmddhh] gives only the winds at the same heights as the previous command for 12 hours ending at the specified time.

spt [yymmddhh] same as previous command but for virtual temperature.

tsp -l gives a listing of heights above sea level to choose from when using the command tsp.

tsp ht gives a time series of winds or virtual temperature at the height specified by ht. User will be prompted for beginning and ending times of time series.

tspt gives a time series of virtual temperatures for all heights. User will be prompted for beginning and ending times of time series.

4.0 Nexrad Weather Radar

These commands are for the WSR88D Nexrad Weather Radar at Camano Island. The most recent 5 days of radar images are maintained on disk. After 5 days the images are archived. For all commands the time argument is specified in UTC and defaults to the current time if not specified on the command line. The image closest to the selected time is displayed. Images of each type are normally available at 6-10 minute intervals. Images are stored as GIF files in the directory /usr/local/ldm/images/nexrad and can be transferred to off-site computers suppporting display of GIF files.

4.1 Radar Commands

Note: In the following commands ":mm" designates minutes after hour, hh.

bref [yymmddhh:mm] [elevation_index]

Displays the base reflectivity at one of four elevation angles: 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 degrees (these correspond to elevation_index argument values of 1 to 4).

vel [yymmddhh:mm] [elevation_index]

Displays the field of radial velocity. Elevation angles are specified the same way as for the command bref.

lref [yymmddhh:mm] [elevation_index]

Displays layer maximum reflectivity at one of three vertical layers: 0-24, 24-33, and 33-60 kft (these correspond to elevation_index argument values of 1 to 3)

cref [yymmddhh:mm] Displays composite reflectivity averaged in the vertical.

tops [yymmddhh:mm] Displays echo top heights.

vil [yymmddhh:mm] Displays vertically intergrated liquid water.

pre1 [yymmddhh:mm] Displays one hour precipitation ending at selected time.

pre3 [yymmddhh:mm] Displays three hour precipitation ending at selected time.

pret [yymmddhh:mm] Displays storm total precipitation accumulated up to the selected time.

radar_root [elevation_index] Displays the most recent base reflectivity field on the root window of your X window display. The root window is updated every 3 minutes provided a new image is available. The default value is the same for all commands with an argument of elevation index of 1 (0.5 deg).

The next set of commands allow the user to loop through a time series of radar images. These commands are analogous to the display commands above except they begin with the letter "l" which indicates they loop through a sequence of images determined by the time_specification argument. The time specification takes the form:

[yymmddhh:mm/time_length/time_step]

where yymmddhh:mm is the ending time for the loop which defaults to the current time if not specified. Time_length is the duration of the loop in hours while time_step is the interval of time in hours between images comprising the loop. If not specified time_length defaults to 2 hours while time_step defaults to 0.1 hr, which assures that all available images will be included in the loop.

lbref [time_specification] [elevation_index]

lvel [time_specification] [elevation_index]

llref [time_specification] [elevation_index]

lcref [time_specification]

lpre1 [time_specification]

lpre3 [time_specification]

lpret [time_specification]

ltops [time_specification]

lvil [time_specification]

4.2 XAnim Documentation

The radar loop commands use the XAnim display program to loop through the radar GIF images. The following gives instructions on how to operate XAnim.

4.2.1 XAnim -Keyboard Commands

Once the animation is running there are various commands that can be entered into that animation window from the keyboard

q
quit
Q
quit
w
Restore original window size (useful after resizing).
<space>
Toggle. starts/stops animation.
,
Single step back one frame.
.
Single step forward one frame.
-
Increase animation playback speed.
=
Decrease animation playback speed.
0
Reset animation playback speed to original values.
4.2.2 XAnim Mouse Button Commands

Once the animation is running the mouse buttons have the following functions.

<Left_Button> Single step back one frame.

<Middle_Button> Toggle. starts/stops animation.

<Right_Button> Single step forward one frame.

5.0 Graphical Weather Display Programs

To execute any of the following programs, type the command as shown.

mcidas McIDAS is a program which allows the user to display and loop both visible and infrared satellite imagery, as well as surface, upper air, and gridded data. (See Section 7.0 of this manuel for more information on using McIDAS.) Running this program requires that your account is properly configured.

js Js or Jetstream can display gridded data, surface data, or satellite imagery, launch trajectories, and create loops. This program is flexible enough to allow the user to customize each plot. This program runs under a graphical `windows' interface. See separate `man' page.

avplot Avplot is a menu driven program that allows the user to make custom plots of many different parameters. Similar to Jetstream but not in x-windows format.

wxp This menu driven program can make calculations of meteorological values, analyze and display data, and contour various types of data and variables. This command requires that the UDRESPATH environment variable be properly set. See Ernie Recker or Harry Edmon for more information.

gempak Gempak is a graphical package for displaying various types of parameters. Contact Harry Edman or David Warren for more information and to have your account properly configured.

6.0 Satellite Imagery

The following commands will bring up various types of satellite imagery and should be followed by a date/time group of the form [yymmddhh]. The GMS and METEOSAT satellites are positioned over the western Pacific Ocean and Europe, respectively. To dismiss the image type "q" with the mouse pointer in the window.

satir [yymmddhh] View hourly United States infrared images from the GOES 7 satellite.If time is not specified, the most recent available image is shown.

satvis [yymmddhh] same as above but for hourly visible imagery.

satwv [yymmddhh] same as above except for water vapor imagery

1km [yymmddhh] Visible satellite image of Washington state at 1 kilometer resolution. Format of time argument follows yymmddhh:mm. If time is not specified the most recent image is shown. Available at half-hour intervals during daylight hours.

satvisir [yymmddhh] This command loops between the visible and infrared image at the specified time. If time is not specified the most recent images will be shown.

gms.i [yymmddhh] View GMS infrared imagery at specified time. If time is not specified the latest image at 00Z or 12Z is shown.

gms.v [yymmddhh] same as above but for visible imager

eur.i View latest METEOSAT infrared image of Europe.

eur.v same as above but for visible imagery.

uk.i View latest infrared imagery of British Isles.

uk.v same as above but for visible imagery.

meteow.i View latest Atlantic, North and South American full disk images from the METEOSAT backup satellite. If time is not specified the latest image at 00Z or 12Z is shown.

meteow.v same as above but for visible imagery.

meteoe.i View latest full disk images of Europe and Africa from the METEOSAT satellite.

meteoe.v same as above but for visible imagery.

These next commands loop the U.S. and Washington state satellite images. The time specification takes the form:

[yymmddhh:mm/time_length/time_step]

where yymmddhh is the ending time for the loop which defaults to the current time if not specified. Time_length is the duration of the loop in hours while time_step is the interval of time in hours between images comprising the loop. If not specified time_length defaults to 2 hours while time_step defaults to 1 hr which assures that all available images will be included in the loop.

lir [time_spec] Loops the U.S. infrared images.

lvis [time_spec] Loops the U.S. visible images.

l1km [time_spec] Loops the Washington state 1 kilometer visible images.

7.0 McIDAS

When you enter "mcidas" on the command line, after a brief pause, three windows appear: a command window (thin with black background), a text window (blue background), and an image window (square with black background). To enter a command, the mouse cursor must either be in the image or command windows. When you type commands, status and text results will be printed in the text window. The commands are automatically entered in all caps.

McIDAS is far too complex to describe in detail here. Only a few simple commands are included to get you going. A more detailed description of all commands is located in a blue binder in the maproom.

7.1 Basic Commands

The most frequent use of McIDAS is to display and loop IR and visible satellite images. The DF command can be used for this purpose.

DF aatt frame# EC xxx [mag]

This command will display a satellite image in the image window..

aa
the area number. 12 = visible images. 13 = IR images.
tt
time
frame#
The command must specify which frame to put the image in. By default, when you first start McIDAS there are four frames. The frame number is located in the bottom left corner of the image window. You can toggle between the frames by: <alt>A = forward one frame, <alt>B = back one frame.
xxx
station you want the image centered on.
mag
magnification factor. If omitted, a factor of one is used.
For example, to display in frame 2 the latest IR image from 13 GMT centered on Oklahoma City with magnification factor 2x enter "DF 1313 2 EC OKC 2" in the command window.

Currently, we retain only the last 24 hours of McIDAS images. To see which ones are available type

LA aatt1 aatt2 lists areas between areas aatt1 and aatt2. Output is in the blue text window.

Once you plot an IR or visible satellite image, you must enter a separate command to draw a map on the image. First, make sure the image window is displaying the correct frame then type:

MAP [H] draws a map in the image window. The optional `H' will cause state boundaries to be drawn.

7.2 Batch Commands

The following commands will execute a pre-programmed series of McIDAS commands. Note that there is only a quotation mark prior to the batch command program name and no quotation mark after.

BATCH [arguments] "program name

executes batch program called program name. Arguments may or may not be required, depending on the specific batch program.

As of this date, the following are acceptable BATCH program names:

tt xxx "IRZOOM , or

tt xxx "VSZOOM

Creates a loop of four images at time tt centered on station xxx with consecutively increasing magnification.

"IR500 draws the latest 12 GMT IR image and overlays the 500mb countours.

For example, to create a loop of visible images zooming onto Seattle at 18 GMT enter, BATCH 18 SEA "VSZOOM

8.0 WWW using Mosaic, Netscape or other browser

Within the department Mosaic and netscape are the primary World Wide Web browsers serving as graphical interfaces to a vast array of resources and information available over the Internet. By default your starting point will be the Atmosperic Sciences home page. "Weather data and Forecasts" gives access to many of the same products described in this manual. Weather information packages located at other institutions may also be accessed. Mosaic-like browsers are available for use with MS-Windows, MAC personal computers as well as on the departmental workstations. To start Mosaic type "Mosaic" in any window. You can click on the following hypertext to go to the Atmosperic Sciences' World Wide Web Home Page, Figure 1, but since you're reading this you've probably already seen it.

Figure 2 is the local weather data and forecasts page.

9.0 The X-Windows Environment

The following text assumes you are using a Sun Workstation and running the maproom account. (The maproom account has a `wx%' prompt.)Your account may differ if you are using the Open-Look window manager or a different window manager than the maproom. You can modify your `.twmrc' file to configure mouse actions to perform the following tasks.

9.1 Using the Mouse for Window Operations

You can use the mouse to control and customize the windows on your computer screen.

open window Put cursor in a window icon at top of screen and press left mouse button.

close window Put cursor in a window icon or circle at left of title bar and press left mouse button.

move window Put cursor in shaded area in title bar of window, hold the middle mouse button, and drag to new location.

resize window Put cursor in resize icon at right of title bar, hold the middle mouse button, drag mouse to window border, and resize window to desired size.

bring to front

(raise) window Put cursor on title bar and press left mouse button. If the title bar is hidden, put cursor in window icon and press middle mouse button.

send to back

(lower) window Put cursor on title bar and press right mouse button.

kill window Put cursor in menu icon in title bar, hold the middle mouse button, drag mouse to select `kill', and release mouse button.

Some of the above commands may also be performed by pointing the cursor in a region without any windows, holding down the middle mouse button, and selecting the desired action, then you have to go back to the window you want the action preformed in.

9.2 Scrolling

If text has disappeared off the top of the window you can scroll back to read it. Point the cursor in the bar to the left of the window. Press the right button to scroll up and the left button to scroll down. By holding the middle mouse button while the cursor is in the scroll bar, you can manually control scrolling by dragging the mouse up or down.

9.3 Opening a New Window

Sometimes you may want to open a new window to perform another task while one is working. Point the mouse cursor in empty workspace, hold the left mouse button, select `xterm', and release. In a few seconds a new window and icon will appear.

9.4 Weather Information Using Pull-down Menus

Using the maproom terminals, you can use the mouse to obtain certain information using pull down menus. (Your own account may not be configured this way.) The following information is available using this technique:

- Local surface station plots

- Local soundings

- Loops

- Jetstream

- Forecast map

- Surface analysis/radar summary

- Recent visible satellite image

- Recent IR satellite image

Point the cursor in empty space, hold the right mouse button, and drag to your selection. If there is a menu icon at the right of the selection bar, drag the mouse to the right for more choices. Note that for many programs it takes several seconds or longer for any display or effect to occur.

9.5 Loop Control

With the mouse cursor pointing in the window, you can control certain loops with the mouse buttons:

middle Toggles loop mode on/off. When holding the <shift> key down and pressing this button, the loop is killed and you are returned to the prompt.

right When loop mode is off, pressing this button advances one frame in the loop sequence.

When loop mode is on, this button increases the loop speed. Holding the <shift> key down and pressing the right button will decrease the pause at the end of the loop.

left When loop mode is off, pressing this button moves back one frame.

When loop mode is on, this button decreases the loop speed. Holding the <shift> key down and pressing the left button will increase the pause at the end of the loop.