Whether you’re like me and are a bit of a weather geek or you just like staring at pretty satellite images, Zoom Earth is worth checking out. This nifty site shows global weather and climate data in near real-time on an interactive map.

It’s more than just satellite images, too. There are tons of different settings and overlays you can play around with such as rain maps, wind forecast maps, temperature maps, and more. The tracking is so accurate that I began using it as my main source of weather forecasting a while back.

Using one of my favorite overlays, the “Fires and heat spots,” which shows a global view of every recorded active fire or thermal anomaly in the world, I track wildfires and volcanic activity. I also embrace my inner storm chaser to watch potential tornadoes develop in the Midwest using the radar and wind maps—you know, typical nerd stuff.

Zoom Earth uses a combination of geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites such as NOAA’s GOES, JMA’s Himawari-8/9, and NASA’s Terra and Aqua, along with others to collect and display all of its data.

While Zoom Earth is available on the web, mobile users can also download the app for iOS and Android devices. I have it on my phone and find it particularly helpful when I’m travelling—even if it’s just to kill time looking at weather systems play out while I’m stuck in transit. 

Check it out and play around, maybe it’ll even become your new favorite weather app like it is mine.

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Author: Sam Singleton, Assistant Editor, PCWorld