Wx Status Blog
This blog will be updated whenever I become aware of OS, software, server, or other issues affecting normal operation of Wx -- Craig Hunter, Developer
Thursday Jun 2 2011 10:27AM EDT
The current conditions feed is once again operating properly. Thanks to the NWS for the quick fix.
Thursday Jun 2 2011 09:50AM EDT
The current conditions feed contains stale data. I have reported the issue to the NWS.
Wednesday May 25 2011 05:04PM EDT
NWS data feeds are having major problems right now. There appears to be some sort of major outage at the NWS (even their website is down).
Tuesday Mar 29 2011 10:32PM EDT
All NWS data feeds are experiencing problems right now.
Tuesday Mar 29 2011 08:23AM EDT
The NWS alerts feeds are not delivering data. I have reported the issue to the NWS.
Saturday Jan 22 2011 06:32PM EST
Update: Due to forecast issues affecting users on a large scale, the NWS has rolled back their server software to the version prior to Thursday, which eliminates the issue preventing Wx from getting forecast data. Wx for iPad is now functioning correctly with no workarounds needed. The next update of Wx for Mac will remove the workaround implemented in version 5.4.
Friday Jan 21 2011 10:55PM EST
Wx Mac users, a new version of Wx (5.4) is available here:
http://hunter.pairsite.com/wx-update.html
This version transitions to the new NWS CAP 1.1 beta alerts feed and contains a temporary workaround for the current NDFD service Bug affecting the point forecast in Wx.
These same changes have been incorporated in a new version of Wx for iPad, which will be submitted to Apple shortly. It should be available for download in 3-7 days.
Friday Jan 21 2011 06:58PM EST
I just received a status update from the NWS. They are working on a fix now and will be testing it. Unfortunately, they may not be able to push it out to the servers until next week.
I have a workaround that I can quickly push out for the Mac version of Wx if needed, but the iPad version will be subject to Apple review delays and will not get to users until next week. The best hope right now is that the NWS fixes the problem on their end. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Friday Jan 21 2011 06:52AM EST
The NDFD continues to return no data for the point forecast in Wx. Once the feed is back in service, Wx will resume normal operation on its own. Please note that the forecast data issue is completely unrelated to upcoming changes planned for the alerts feed. A new version of Wx will be released to process the CAP 1.1 alerts format when it goes into effect (this has been planned since 2008, but NWS implementation is long overdue).
Thursday Jan 20 2011 7:23PM EST
The NDFD feed is down, impacting point and pro forecasts in Wx. The issue has been reported to the NWS.
Monday Nov 22 2010 11:42AM EST
The NDFD feed is back to normal operation as of 12PM EST, hopefully for real. Place your bets...
Monday Nov 22 2010 12:35AM EST
The NDFD server is once again failing to deliver full data to Wx. The NWS has plans to work this problem Monday, hopefully resolving the problem for real.
Sunday Nov 21 2010 08:35AM EST
As of 8AM EST, the NDFD service appears to be back to normal for all locations. The NDFD is delivering properly formatted 7-day data when requested, with a forecast range extending from Sunday 11/21 through Saturday 11/27.
Saturday Nov 20 2010 07:58AM EST
Upon further clarification by the NWS overnight, it looks like the NDFD database itself is not updating, thus holding on to old/stale data and not refreshing with new data going forward. They suspect a caching issue. This will have to be fixed on the server side, as any fix I implement in Wx can only mask the issue temporarily.
Saturday Nov 20 2010 12:24AM EST
The NDFD server is not delivering a full data set to Wx for the point forecast. The issue has been reported to the NWS. I have a workaround ready to go if this cannot be fixed in a timely manner on the server side.
Wednesday Jan 13 2010 09:20AM EST
The NDFD service has been running OK for the last couple days. Note from the NWS on Jan 12:
As of today, the NDFD XML service is running on "new" hardware and from
what we can tell is running better than in the past few weeks. Sorry
for the issues; new hydro services we are spinning up impacted the
performance of a back end file server more than expected. It was a
trying holiday season for us!
Regardless what we see, you all are the ground truth in the service`s
performance. Please let us know if you see any improvement/or no
improvement over the next couple of week, or better yet during the next
winter event.
Monday Jan 4 2010 11:25AM EST
More NDFD woes. The NWS is aware of the problem.
Thursday Dec 31 2009 02:20PM EST
Still seeing issues in the forecast data feed. Right now, it`s only showing 3-4 periods of data in the point forecast, and the pro forecast is missing various data elements.
Saturday Dec 26 2009 09:02AM EST
The NWS forecast feed appears to be delivering full data at the moment, though it still includes the previous day period, indicating that it may not be updating properly going forward. I don`t think we`re out of the woods yet.
Friday Dec 25 2009 07:51AM EST
Christmas Day update from the NWS: "The servers took a serious hit during last week`s storm
and the guys are working hard to restore. The web farm has become less and less stable over the past week. Initially, problems were seen with incredibly slow scps of the NDFD data from the central server to the web farm..."
Thursday Dec 24 2009 08:59AM EST
Thursday update: NWS server is again experiencing problems delivering forecast data to Wx. I reported the issue to the NWS last evening. Please note that the graphical "pro" forecast and the text-based "zone" forecast continue to work fine in Wx, and can be used as substitutes while the NWS "point" forecast is down.
Tuesday Dec 22 2009 08:39AM EST
The NWS seems to have fixed sporadic data feed issues from the weekend.
Sunday Dec 20 2009 11:39AM EST
Seeing massive data corruption in the NDFD forecast database right now. Will report to the NWS.
Thursday Aug 27 2009 12:13AM EDT
Wx has been tested on Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). No issues/problems were noted.
Wednesday Jul 22 2009 11:57AM EDT
Looks like the entire NWS network is experiencing problems right now, preventing Wx from getting data.
Thursday Jul 16 2009 09:02AM EDT
The NWS forecast feed is dumping some bogus data values right now (including 2147483648 values). The NWS is aware of the issue, and working on a fix. Note that 2147483648 is a generic placeholder used by some computers/compilers when trying to fill integer data with corrupted inputs.
Tuesday Jun 16 2009 11:41AM EDT
Wx 5.35 has been released to deal with permissions issues introduced by Mac OS X Java updates on 6/15/09.
Monday Jun 8 2009 06:39PM EDT
I have tested Wx with the WebKit frameworks installed by Safari 4, and have not noticed any issues. The radar problems associated with Safari 4 beta seem to have been fixed by Apple in the final release.
Wednesday Jun 3 2009 07:42PM EDT
All NWS servers seem to be operating normally at this time.
Wednesday Jun 3 2009 04:02PM EDT
Update from the NWS: "We've been fighting a database problem on the NWS (hq) farm. In the course of dealing it, we've had the site up and down several times today. This should only be impacting the SOAP/REST service for brief periods, however, any of the services that query the zip code database will not be working. This has also impacted the updating of the CAP/watch/warning and current observation feeds."
Wednesday Jun 3 2009 03:24PM EDT
The server problems continue, though sporadic. I have contacted the NWS for status updates.
Wednesday Jun 3 2009 09:05AM EDT
The NWS XML servers are experiencing problems this morning, affecting all versions of Wx.
Tuesday Jun 2 2009 06:54PM EDT
Please update to Wx 5.34 -- it contains fixes to handle unannounced changes in the format of wind and temperature data in the NWS current conditions feed.
Wednesday May 13 2009 12:24AM EDT
I am currently seeing widespread failures of all NWS data feeds used by Wx. I have asked the NWS for clarification on this issue, and will avoid releasing any more patches to Wx until the situation stabilizes. Your patience is appreciated.
Tuesday May 12 2009 09:17AM EDT
The NWS is changing additional servers this morning. Their entire southern region fleet of servers appear to be offline. If necessary, I may need to release another update to Wx.
Monday May 11 2009 06:08PM EDT
Wx 5.32 has been released, and points to a different server for NWS text forecast data.
Sunday May 10 2009 08:52PM EDT
Looks like the NWS server used for text forecasts is not responding to data requests. If it does not come back up within a couple days, I will make an update to Wx so it can use an alternate server.
Monday Mar 30 2009 11:26AM EDT
If you are experiencing issues in the Wx Radar Console, it is likely due to having the Safari beta installed on your system. This changes the WebKit framework used by Wx and other apps (which are compiled and tested for the stable release of WebKit). Uninstalling the Safari beta will resolve the issue. This is not a Wx bug or Wx issue. Please report Safari-related problems to Apple through their beta program.
Sunday Dec 21 2008 06:11PM EST
Update from the NWS : "The repairs on the upstream feed are about finished; hopefully data will start to flow again soon." -- Bob Bunge, NWS OCIO
Sunday Dec 21 2008 09:03AM EST
The NDFD feed is currently experiencing problems, causing issues in the Point and Pro forecasts in Wx. This is a server issue. The NWS is aware of the situation.
Friday Nov 7 2008 03:13PM EST
Wx 5.31 contains a fix to deal with a change in the NWS XML feed affecting the point forecast.
Friday Nov 7 2008 12:28PM EST
A change in the NWS XML format is causing Wx to flag the data as appearing with the incorrect number of days. I have checked with the NWS to see if this is a temporary problem or a permanent change. If permanent, I will need to release a new version of Wx to deal with it.
Tuesday Jul 22 2008 09:29PM EDT
The NWS servers that Wx uses are experiencing heavy loads this evening due to interest in Hurricane Dolly. Please be patient as the NWS tries to deal with the increased load.
Monday Jun 2 2008 04:27PM EDT
Note for anyone who has experienced frequent "curl (6): name lookup timed out" errors in Wx (or other apps) under OS X 10.5 Leopard: update to 10.5.3, as it avoids the problem. In previous versions of 10.5, the OS attempted to make SRV requests from DNS servers, but many older or out of date servers could not handle these requests. 10.5.3 appears to revert to making DNS-A requests (standard behavior in 10.4 and earlier).
Thursday May 15 2008 2:39PM EDT
The point forecast data feed has returned to normal operation.
Thursday May 15 2008 12:43PM EDT
The NWS is aware of the issues with the point forecast data feed, and is working on a fix.
Thursday May 15 2008 9:02AM EDT
The NWS server providing point forecast data to Wx is having issues right now, causing an error message in the point forecast. Wx should resume normal operation once server issues are resolved by the NWS.
Tuesday Apr 29 2008 11:38PM EDT
Server is back up and point forecasts are working normally.
Tuesday Apr 29 2008 11:02PM EDT
The NWS server providing point and pro forecast data to Wx is having issues right now, and Wx is displaying an error message in the point forecast. As soon as service is restored, Wx should resume normal operation.
Saturday Mar 22 2008 09:07PM EDT
The NDFD feeds that provide data for Point and Pro forecasts are experiencing server issues sporadically, and have been for about a week. In addition, Hawaii locations sometimes receive data in a slightly different format than Wx expects. I will contact the NWS and check into this. If needed, an update will be released to fix the Hawaii problem.
Sunday Mar 2 2008 09:17AM EST
Note from Bob Bunge of the NWS:
There is an issue with the systems that create the NDFD mosiacs from the local office data before
it is sent to the NWS web farms.
This is being worked on. I dont have any information on an ETA. At this point, its been reported up the chain of command.
Sunday Mar 2 2008 09:12AM EST
Update from NWS: THE NCF IS LOOKING INTO A PROBLEM WITH THE NDFD SERVERS. ADDITIONAL STATUS WILL BE PROVIDED AS NEW INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.
The NWS server issue is causing the SOAP (simple object access protocol) feature in Mac OS X to bomb when requesting data for Wx. This is likely due to the NWS servers providing a response that OS X is unable to process. Once the problem is fixed on the NWS end, point and pro forecast issues in Wx will resolve on their own.
Saturday Mar 1 2008 11:18PM EST
The NWS feeds that provide raw data for the point and pro forecasts in Wx are currently experiencing problems.
Thursday Dec 13 2007 09:51AM EST
Zone forecasts are offline. The NWS is aware of the issue and working towards a resolution.
Wednesday Nov 28 2007 08:34PM EST
Note for people running Wx on Mac OS X Leopard 10.5: If you see "curl (6): name lookup timed out" error messages in Wx, check your DNS settings for old, missing, or incorrect name server addresses. Leopard changed the way DNS lookups are done by the OS (it now makes SRV requests) and having correct, up to date name server addresses in network settings is very important.
Wednesday Nov 21 2007 08:40PM EST
Around midnight in each time zone, the point forecast may be reporting an issue where the wrong number of days are returned when requesting XML data from the NDFD feed. The NWS is aware of the issue and working on a fix.
Sunday Oct 28 2007 08:13PM EDT
Wx 5.13 works around the 5-day point forecast issue and is available for download here.
Friday Oct 26 2007 08:42AM EDT
Some users are reporting an error message where Wx requested a 5 day forecast and the NDFD server returned 6 days. Previous versions of Wx would have processed the data incorrectly and failed, but 5.12 traps the error and does not display a forecast. I have reported the issue to the NWS. In the meantime, users can switch to the 7-day forecast mode which seems to avoid the problem.
Thursday Oct 25 2007 10:40PM EDT
Wx 5.12 provides workarounds for all known issues with the new NDFD service that went into operation on 10/22.
Tuesday Oct 23 2007 11:15PM EDT
Wx 5.11 has been released to registered customers, and contains a fix for the NDFD bug affecting the 7-day forecast in Wx. This version also contains a temporary workaround for the day/period naming issue, though a permanent server-side fix will come from the NWS at some point. Note that some of the NWS radar modes are showing "down for maintentance" banners right now.
Tuesday Oct 23 2007 12:49AM EDT
I have pinpointed the problem in the NDFD feed, and also determined that it potentially affects the Wx 5-day forecast as well -- you will see incorrect period names with temperatures and icons out of phase. Debug info has been relayed to the NWS.
Monday Oct 22 2007 11:00PM EDT
There are once again problems in the NDFD service, but it only affects the 7-day "expanded" point forecast. The 5-day "summary" point forecast is fine, so users may want to switch to that option for the time being. I am working the issue with the NWS.
Monday Oct 22 2007 10:38AM EDT
The NDFD service is back online.
Monday Oct 22 2007 08:48AM EDT
The NWS is upgrading the NDFD service today. As of 0845 EDT, the server feeding Wx point/pro forecasts is offline.
Wednesday Oct 10 2007 11:07AM EDT
Users may see missing data in Wx. From the NWS: "The National Weather Service is undergoing some planned maintenance. We expect normal service to return no later 11AM CDT (17Z) October 10, 2007. We apologize for the inconvenience."
Thursday Sep 27 2007 10:18PM EDT
Mobile Wx has been updated to work around a bug in Safari introduced with the iPhone 1.1.1 software update.
Wednesday Sep 26 2007 11:45PM EDT
A workaround has been put in place for an NWS server change that was affecting mobile Wx forecasts.
Tuesday Sep 25 2007 10:37PM EDT
The NDFD feed seems to be working correctly again.
Tuesday Sep 25 2007 09:45PM EDT
The NWS NDFD server is sending out bogus time periods with data, resulting in screwy point and pro forecast displays in Wx.
Friday Sep 21 2007 12:34PM EDT
The NDFD feed is back to normal operation.
Friday Sep 21 2007 10:25AM EDT
NWS expects the NDFD feed to be back up around 11am Eastern.
Friday Sep 21 2007 09:12AM EDT
The NWS digital forecast feed seems to be having issues -- it is returning "nil" values for all requested data. Wx is handling the situation correctly/gracefully by displaying a warning for the point forecast and empty data plots for the pro forecast. Wx will revert to normal operation as soon as the feed starts returning valid data. In the meantime, users can fallback to the zone forecast. Mobile Wx operation is unaffected.
Monday Sep 17 2007 12:10PM EDT
The mobile Wx issue affecting iPod Touch has been resolved with a temporary workaround. I believe it is due to a bug in the version of Mobile Safari running on the Touch. I will continue to analyze the issue and report a bug to Apple if needed.
Monday Sep 17 2007 09:37AM EDT
Some iPod Touch users are reporting a Safari crash with mobile Wx, and I am investigating the issue. The software continues to work fine on iPhones.
Tuesday Aug 28 2007 11:15AM EDT
Mobile Wx has been updated to include radar loops.
Sunday Aug 12 2007 06:32PM EDT
A bug in the NWS NDFD XML feed may result in a scrambled point forecast display in Wx in the early morning hours (3-6am). I have reported this to the NWS and provided them with sample data files given to me by Wx users. I will continue to work the problem with the NWS.
Sunday Aug 12 2007 06:29PM EDT
Mobile Wx has been updated with a new interface and slightly faster response. There is a bug in the NWS current conditions XML feed that results in a daytime weather icon being shown for observations between 12am and 1am. I reported this to the NWS a few weeks ago but it continues to occur. If they cannot fix it soon, I will pursue a workaround in mobile Wx. The problem does not affect Wx -- it calculates sunrise and sunset for each location and chooses day/night icons internally.
Sunday Jul 29 2007 04:13PM EDT
Wx 5.0 has been released. The following changes have been made since the Wx 5.0 preview 2 release: fixed a menu bug, fixed bug in add-on outline view editor, improved behavior of window show/hide events, minor tweaks to unregistered demo mode. I also made some changes to mobile Wx to improve performance on EDGE networks and deal with inconsistent caching in mobile Safari. Now, mobile Wx will cache current weather, forecast, and map data for 20 minutes, alerts data for 10 minutes, and radar data for 7 minutes. This will improve efficiency on EDGE without impacting data quality.
Wx users should download the release version (see "check for updates" link in the Wx menu). Mobile Wx users need only hit "reload" in Safari to begin using the updated mobile Wx.
Wednesday May 16 2007 04:55PM EDT
Test run of blogging software!