I have a program on my computer that simulates the older Weather Channel forecast and I can set it up to show the conditions in different cities and it shows the radar also.

I have a program on my computer that simulates the older Weather Channel forecast and I can set it up to show the conditions in different cities and it shows the radar also.

Nice! Is it like a simulator?

Yes, it's the one at taiganet.

Awesome. 

I have always been fascinated by weather and how climates throughout the world work. 

My favorite kinds of weather to watch and experience:

1. Severe thunderstorms (from inside my house)

2. Snow 

3. Cold fronts that replace humid and warm air with cool and dry air within 24 hours

I admit that I am afraid of hail after my car was "totaled" last year    As long as there is no hail, I love to sit on my back porch and watch a big thunderstorm roll in from over the Blue Ridge Mountains on the SC and NC border.  A nice summer afternoon thunderstorm is so relaxing with low rumbling thunder and relief from the high temperatures. I enjoy the soothing sound of steady rain at night as it helps me relax and fall asleep.  Being from South Carolina, I consider snow a rare and exciting treat.  As long as I don't have to drive anywhere, I really enjoy a beautiful, fluffy snow, building a fire, and sipping some hot cocoa. 

I love to study climates around the world and figure out which places have similar climates to South Carolina.  I've learned that that southeast China and most of Japan have the same climate as South Carolina with hot and humid summers and cool, damp winters. 

I find it fascinating how many places in Europe (United Kingdom, Ireland, France, etc.) that are much further north than the USA have fairly moderate temperatures.  The jet streams carry warm air north and prevent extreme heat and cold in west Europe.  It's interesting how Scotland and Ireland could be covered in snow all the time if the jet streams worked differently.  Central and and east Europe (Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary etc.) are more likely to experience extreme heat and cold due to being further inland with temperatures as low as -5 in the winter and 95 in the summer.  Tornadoes are also somewhat common in Germany and Poland due to the flat geography and rapid changes in temperature, like in the Midwestern USA.  Ironically, the further south you go in Germany, the cooler the climate becomes due to the mountains and distance from the ocean in the south part of the country.

It's mind blowing to think about the seasons in the southern hemisphere being reversed.  I can't imagine celebrating Christmas during the hottest part of summer 

I use the AccuWeather app for my weather forecasts 

For me, I'm definitely a hail fan... though I am absolutely not a fan of the dented cars and smashed out house
and car windows. No sir... but I am a fan of hail storms since they're associated with the most
violent supercell storms. Especially the storms that contain violent tornadoes.

There was a bad storm coming in when I was driving home late this afternoon. It got really windy and lots of lightning and the sky got black. I turned on the radio on AM to see if I could hear the lightning interference would happen and it did make static every time the lightning struck. And there was a tornado warning broadcast as well.

Fortunately I got home just before the rain started, it literally started as soon as I walked in the door. lol

We are due a thunderstorm today and also a chance of flooding in certain areas. Right now I can see the storm front approaching.

A cold front is probably the case. The warm air lifts up to the sky creating thunderstorm clouds which brings rain and if severe, it will be worse. Behind the front is colder air, which also drops the humidity down due to drier air behind it, which warm humid air in front.

A cold front is probably the case. The warm air lifts up to the sky creating thunderstorm clouds which brings rain and if severe, it will be worse. Behind the front is colder air, which also drops the humidity down due to drier air behind it, which warm humid air in front.

We had a bit of thunder, and then loads of rain afterwards. Today is just cloudy.

As for weather stations I only have a basic unit that has a sensor outside that records humidity and temperature and broadcasts it to the main display unit inside that shows inside and outside temperature and humidity.

I have an Acu-Rite Pro 5-in-1 weather station with the HD display, lightning detection, and Smart Hub. I do report to Wunderground but for some reason it puts my location in a city several miles away. I am not sure how this happened, as it is coordinate based, but oh well. I am very interested to see what the Atlas Elite will bring, and have held off purchasing the new hub because I hope to upgrade once it becomes available. I am very interested in aviation weather as well as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Here are a couple pics of my station in action, as well as a picture of a tornado I witnessed back in 2013.

@boiler1011, now THAT is something I wish I could do. I'm waiting for the day where I finally witness a tornado
face to face, or even the strongest supercell thunderstorm without a tornado involved. (not likely)
That would be amazing. Costly, but amazing. lol

Nice Acurite HD weather station, does it have lightning like mine does, @boiler1011? Although, mine doesn't have that have that HD display, just a backlit LCD display with color background.

We're not enthusiasts as such, we just like to know what it's going to do and plan accordingly, we have an Oregon Scientific BAR 208 with a couple of remote sensors.

Over here we certainly don't get the extremes of weather that other countries at the same latitude get, so overall I think we shouldn't complain about it.