Historical tornado-track overlays plus radar-synchronized tornado track animation
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Last night, severe storms moved through my area and tornado sirens were activated. Two small tornadoes reportedly touched down nearby, which got me thinking about a couple of potential features for Windy.
- Historical Tornado Path Overlay
It would be incredibly useful to have an optional historical overlay showing documented tornado tracks. Users could view tornado paths from the last 24 hours, past week, month, or a custom date range and see exactly where confirmed tornadoes traveled.
- Tornado Tracks Integrated with Radar Playback
It would also be interesting if confirmed tornado tracks could be animated alongside radar playback.
For example, as the radar animation progresses, the tornado path could appear at the point where the tornado was first confirmed, continue to extend as the storm evolves, and stop when the tornado dissipates. The track would remain visible on the map for the rest of the playback cycle, then reset and replay in chronological order when the animation loops.
I think this would provide a much clearer understanding of how tornadoes developed, moved, and dissipated in relation to the surrounding weather patterns as well as understanding the communities it impacted over their 'tornado season'.
