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Google Maps Weather Bookmarklet

Google launched a new tool today, Google Maps. Like its inferior predecessors MapQuest and Yahoo! Maps, Google Maps provides an interactive graphical map of any location in the U.S., but as usual, Google takes this idea and presents it in a powerful, streamlined package without all the cruft and crap that the others have.

After playing with it for a while today, I had the idea of incorporating local weather with the maps. Say you’re taking a day trip to a nearby place and you want to know if the weather’s nice. While you’re looking up the shortest route to get there, wouldn’t it be nice if you could pop up the local weather conditions and forecast at the same time?

I sent this suggestion to Google, but until they find the time to implement it, I’ve put together the following bookmarklet to help provide this sort of functionality. When you’re looking at a Google Maps result page and you click this bookmarklet, a link will be added to the right-hand panel, directly below the current address. Click that link and you’ll be taken to the Weather Underground page for that location.

To use the bookmarklet, simply drag and drop this link to your bookmark toolbar, or your bookmarks menu: Google Maps Weather. Then, next time you’re viewing a Google Maps result page, give it a try.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, Feb 08, 2005 at 6:50 pm and is tagged technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

4 Responses to “Google Maps Weather Bookmarklet”

  1. » Hacking Google Maps  InsideGoogle - part of the Blog News Channel Says:
    February 13th, 2005 at 12:48 am [...] Weather Underground page for that location so you can see the weather where you’re going. [link] Show the location of a blog based on its GeoURL. [link] Show’s satell [...]

  2. zmarties Says:
    February 12th, 2005 at 9:56 am




    Another missing feature of Google maps is actually knowing what area you are looking at a map of.

    The bookmarklet at

    http://zmarties.blogspot.com/2005/02/google-maps-bookmarklet-to-show.html

    adds a dynamic display of the location, generally in the form of latitude and longitude, by replacing the generic \”link to this page\” text with the more specific information.

  3. Michelle Says:
    February 11th, 2006 at 11:27 pm

    I suggest you have a look at
    http://www.weatherbonk.com
    It shows realtime weather observations along with webcams and radar overlays.

  4. rfreebern Says:
    February 25th, 2006 at 9:57 am

    Michelle,
    Thanks! I wrote this bookmarklet a year ago because it filled a need I had. I’m glad to see someone else has taken the same idea and put together a much more fleshed-out implementation. It looks really great!

  5. Don Lapre is a Superstar Says:
    December 13th, 2006 at 7:13 am

    I find this old post quite prescient. Good for you! Google maps have turned out great as you expected .

    Don Lapre is a Superstar
    webmaster@j-ams.org
    http://www.j-ams.org