I wanted to post something similar so I’ll just add a comment here.
Im not an UX designer but I feel I have an eye for it. Side menu does not take ages to pop up for me, but selection of layer in that grid view is really terrible idea. All pictures look the same at first so it does not help anyhow. Labels are probably even smaller so looking for specific layer is really time wasting. “Dont make me think”, said someone.
I think you’ve increased the font size in sections “show on map” and “forecast model” which is great and readable. Why different approach for layers section?…