CSSL Weather Intelligence Update (v2026.10.27): New Historical Data, Mobile Updates, and Ensemble Models
Since we launched CSSL Weather Intelligence in August, we’ve been steadily building out the platform, and this update brings a lot of exciting new additions / updates! On the forecasting side, we’ve added ensemble support for the NBM and REFS, a new probabilistic tool, and several new models, including the RRFS Canadian domain, European models, and HRDPS West, along with Arctic-focused guidance from RRFS-Alaska and CAPS.
The mobile view has had a major overhaul that brings it much closer to the desktop experience. The Historical section now reaches further back, with weather station data from 1952 and Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor radar, hail, and lightning data from 2020. Exploring past events has been reworked too, making it easier to compare the pre-storm environment, the storm itself, and the post-storm assessment.
What's New?
The major changes in this release are summarized below:
General:
- Updated field search bar (forecasting fields)
- Updated login page
- Velocity de-aliasing in radar
- Improved visualization of weather stations in light mode
- Drawing tool
Forecasting Updates:
- RRFS Canadian Domain, IFS, HRDPS West, RRFS-CONUS, AROME, DINI, ICON-D2
- Specialized arctic weather models: RRFS-Alaska, CAPS
- Sounding exports (png, SHARPpy, csv)
- Effective bulk wind difference and eff SRH are now raster fields
- WEonG Probabilistic Fields in HRDPS
- Ensemble Support
- NBM, REFS
- NBM: blend, mean, std dev, percentile, probabilities (depending on the field)
- REFS: PMM, LPMM, weighted mean, spread, probabilities (some with option of EAS & Neighbourhood stat), REFS member data
- Probabilistic tool
- Hodographs have a static scale mode (lock)
Mobile View:
- Reorganized the mobile sidebar for a cleaner, more consistent layout
- Mobile details panels now match the desktop experience
- You can now switch forecast models from the mobile forecast settings
- Fixed radar layers not rendering on mobile
- Added a radar-site colorbar and cyclone colorbar to mobile
- Forecast outlooks no longer remain visible after closing their menu
- Tap the map to view the forecast field value at that location
- Fixed historical UI issues
- Streamlined the timeline controls across desktop and mobile
- Added a radial-scale slider to hodographs and fixed hodograph expansion
- Added visibility toggles for map products, with related filters disabled when a product is turned off
- Model selection is now available in the forecast field search
Historical Updates:
- Weather station data now goes back to 1952
- Weather alerts now go back to 2012
- Composite radar, Maximum Estimated Size of Hail (MESH), and lightning data from the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) system now go back to 2020
- A revamped historical view makes it easier to compare the pre-storm environment, the storm itself, and the post-storm assessment
REMINDER: Accounts and Beta Access
To access the full range of CSSL Weather Intelligence features, an account is now required. Accounts are currently free of charge, and we intend to keep access as open as possible. However, as the platform grows, the cost of maintaining the servers and infrastructure required to provide these services may mean that a small fee could be introduced in the future.
For now, we are inviting users to sign up as beta testers and help us evaluate the new platform. Beta testers will have free access to the full suite of features and will have an opportunity to provide feedback as we continue to improve CSSL Weather Intelligence.
While beta testers will have full access to all features of CSSL Weather Intelligence, access to the platform does not include permission for commercial use. The data, tools, and services provided through CSSL Weather Intelligence are intended for research, education, operational, and personal use. Commercial use, including using the platform or its data as part of a paid service or commercial product, is not currently permitted without prior written permission from the Northern Mesonet Project. Please reach out to us at nmp@uwo.ca if you're interested in a commercial licensing agreement.
This release represents a significant step forward for the platform, but it is still actively being developed. We welcome feedback on bugs, usability, data availability, and new features that would make CSSL Weather Intelligence more useful for research, forecasting, severe weather analysis, and general weather monitoring.
