Where Does earth.nullschool.net Get Its Data, and How Often Is It Updated?

earth.nullschool.net displays wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions "as forecast by supercomputers," and the site states the map is updated every three hours. The data is not measured directly by the site itself — it is forecast model output rendered onto an interactive animated map. You can switch between current conditions and a chosen date, and you can change the data source from the site's menu.

What the site says about its data

The site's own description is the clearest statement of provenance:

• Conditions are shown "as forecast by supercomputers."
• The map is "updated every three hours."
• It covers wind, weather, ocean, and pollution conditions.

That means what you see is model forecast output, not a live sensor reading at your location. Treat it as a visualization of a forecast model, not as a measurement.

How to check the time and date of the data you're viewing

The interface gives you direct control over the time dimension:

1. Open the menu (Show/Hide Menu).
2. Use the date control to see the date information for the current view.
3. Switch between Local and UTC time, and use Change Timezone if you want the timestamps in your own zone.
4. Choose between Now (current conditions) and Choose Date to look at a specific date.

The Info Bar setting can show or hide the date information, so if the timestamp isn't visible, that's the first thing to check.

Changing the data source

The menu includes a Data Source control. Because the site aggregates multiple model outputs rather than a single feed, the source you select determines what the map is showing. The available modes reflect different model domains:

Within Air and Ocean modes you can also select the scale (surface, 1000, 850, 700, 500, 250, 70, 10 hPa) and an overlay (wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, dew point, precipitation, CAPE, and others). The overlay you pick changes which variable is being displayed, so the "source" of what you're looking at depends on both the data source and the overlay selection.

Practical implications for reliability

A few things follow from the three-hour update cycle and forecast-based nature of the data:

• It is not real-time observation. Between updates, the map reflects the most recent model run, not the current moment on the ground.
• Resolution is global, not local. This is a planetary-scale visualization; it is not a substitute for a local forecast service if you need street-level accuracy.
• Use it for patterns, not point predictions. The animated flow is well suited to seeing how wind or currents are moving across a region, which is different from asking "will it rain at my house at 3pm."

If the map isn't loading correctly, the site itself suggests trying classic.nullschool.net as a fallback.