What Is earth.nullschool.net?

Updated

earth.nullschool.net is a free, browser-based interactive map that visualizes global wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions forecast by supercomputers. It updates every three hours and requires no account. Use it when you want a fast, visual read on current or forecast atmospheric and oceanic conditions anywhere on Earth — not when you need precise point forecasts, historical archives, or downloadable datasets.

What you can see

The site organizes data into modes, each with its own animation and overlay options:

Mode Animation Example overlays
Air Wind Wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, dew point, wet bulb temperature, 3-hour precipitation, CAPE, total precipitable water, mean sea level pressure, UV index, wind power density
Ocean Surface currents, peak wave period Ocean currents, significant wave height, sea surface temperature, sea surface temperature anomaly, bleaching alert area
Chem Atmospheric chemistry Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, dust extinction, organic matter aerosol, sulfate extinction
Particulates Particulates PM1, PM2.5, PM10
Space Space weather Probability of visible aurora
Bio Biology Bleaching alert area

Pressure levels for the Air mode range from surface and 1000 hPa up to 10 hPa, so you can look at different heights in the atmosphere rather than only at ground level.

How the map works

  • Animation shows the direction and relative speed of wind or currents as moving particles. Start and stop it from the menu.
  • Overlay colors the map by a chosen variable (temperature, pressure, PM2.5, and so on) while the animation continues on top.
  • Grid toggles a coordinate grid for locating features.
  • Projection options include Atlantis, Conic Equidistant, Equirectangular, Equal Earth, Orthographic, Patterson, Stereographic, Waterman Butterfly, and Winkel Tripel — useful for seeing the whole globe (Orthographic) or a flat world (Equirectangular).
  • Date and time can be set to local or UTC, and you can choose a specific date rather than only "now."
  • Units are switchable, and there is an HD mode plus a current-position mode.
  • Annotations can add active fires.

Practical notes

  • Data is forecast output from supercomputers, not live sensor readings, so treat it as a model view of conditions.
  • If the page does not load correctly, the site itself points to a classic version at classic.nullschool.net.
  • The interface is available in many languages, including English, Czech, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
  • There is a companion app, a newsletter, and social channels linked from the site, plus an About page and a feedback form.

When to use it

Choose earth.nullschool.net for a quick global overview: seeing where winds are strong, tracking a plume, checking sea surface temperature anomalies, or watching aurora probability. For local, hourly, station-based forecasts or for research-grade data downloads, use a dedicated weather service instead.