Dallas Weather Observation Field

KDWO, the Dallas Weather Observation Field, is a personal weather station in Dallas, Texas. It measures the weather every minute and shares it on this website, the KDWO phone line, KDWO Weather Radio and the Android alert app. More about the station »

No. KDWO is an independent, personally run station and is not affiliated with the National Weather Service, NOAA or any government agency. KDWO does share its observations with NOAA's MADIS system through the Citizen Weather Observer Program (station GW6844).

In Dallas. The map pin on this site is placed near the station, not on its exact spot, to keep the KDWO office's exact location private.

KDWO is run by @bruce_stormchaser, a Dallas storm chaser and weather creator.

Weather really does change across the city. Airports sit in big open fields, downtown traps heat, and storms can hit one neighborhood and miss the next. KDWO shows what's happening at its spot in Dallas. A difference of a few degrees from Love Field (KDAL) is normal.

The KDWO Forecast Office starts with National Weather Service computer guidance, then corrects it using what KDWO's own sensors have measured, since every location runs a little warmer or cooler. The forecaster can adjust anything before it goes out. See the forecast »

Automatically every 3 hours, and any time the forecaster publishes an update. If a KDWO forecast is ever more than 6 hours old, the site shows the National Weather Service forecast until a new one is issued.

A plain-language look at any weather threats for today and the next week: severe storms, heat, freezes, high wind, flooding and fog. It includes the Storm Prediction Center's severe risk level at KDWO.

The Storm Prediction Center uses five levels: 1 Marginal (isolated severe storms possible), 2 Slight (scattered), 3 Enhanced (numerous), 4 Moderate (widespread) and 5 High (widespread and dangerous). Today's risk at KDWO »

No. KDWO alerts add local detail but never replace the National Weather Service. Always follow official warnings, Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone and local sirens, and call 911 in an emergency.

Install the Android app for notifications, listen to KDWO Weather Radio, call (214) 817-0075, or check the Severe Weather & Alerts page.

When the station measures something dangerous: temperature below 32°F, heat index above 105°F, wind gusts above 50 mph, rain faster than 2 inches per hour, or lightning within 10 miles (lightning alerts are approved by the operator first). How warnings work »

A message KDWO sends when the danger has passed, so you know the event is over.

No. If the National Weather Service issues a warning for your area, or you hear a siren, take shelter right away. Don't wait for any other source.

Reflectivity shows rain and hail: the brighter the color, the heavier it is. Velocity shows wind moving toward the radar (green) or away from it (red). Storm-relative velocity removes the storm's own movement so rotation stands out. Open the radar »

Velocity is measured from each radar's point of view, so it can't be blended into a mosaic. Pick a single radar such as KFWS (Dallas / Fort Worth) to see it.

Each radar takes 2 to 10 minutes to finish a full scan, and the images take a moment to process. The radar page shows the exact time of each scan.

Live conditions update every minute, the webcam about every 30 seconds, graphs every 5 minutes, and CWOP uploads every 10 minutes. The station status page shows whether everything is running.

Storms can be very narrow. It can pour a mile away while KDWO stays dry. Heavy wind-driven rain can also read a little low in any gauge.

Yes. The Graphs page goes back a full year with a data table, and Climate Reports and Records summarize every month.

The Citizen Weather Observer Program is a network of volunteer weather stations. Their data goes into NOAA's MADIS system, which forecasters and weather models can use. KDWO's ID is GW6844.

Ecowitt outdoor sensors, an Ecowitt WH57 lightning detector, an Ecowitt Wittcam HP10 webcam and the WeeWX weather software. See the sensors »

Press play on the radio page, or open the stream link in VLC or any internet radio app.

Call (214) 817-0075 any time to hear KDWO's current conditions and any active alerts.

Not yet. The KDWO alert app is Android only for now. On iPhone, add this website to your home screen, or use the weather radio and phone line.

At night there isn't enough light. The camera records from just before sunrise to just after sunset, and each day becomes a timelapse.