A couple of weeks ago the really nice Global Cloud Map I had written about last September stopped working. I contacted the author Chris Parsons, ‘ChrisMDP’ at the Google Earth Community, and found out he could no longer host it. This weekend I contacted some folks on the GE team and they were kind enough to host the image and code for us. If you haven’t seen this before, it is a near real-time representation of the entire globe of clouds (updated every 3 hours). It makes Google Earth look like the real Earth from space. One thing that makes it nice is the satellite images are processed to put transparency where there are no clouds (so the Earth comes through clearly). Download the new Global Cloud Map 
now and enjoy! Here’s ‘ChrisMDP’s new thread for the replacement version.
About Frank Taylor
Frank Taylor started the Google Earth Blog in July, 2005 shortly after Google Earth was first released. He has worked with 3D computer graphics and VR for many years and was very impressed with this exciting product. Frank completed a 5.5 year circumnavigation of the earth by sailboat in June 2015 which you can read about at Tahina Expedition, and is a licensed pilot, backpacker, diver, and photographer.
Very cool!
Wow that’s one of the best overlays I have seen.
Now if we could only set the altitude so that when I zoom in below a certain point the clouds are above me.
Maybe it’s just me but this doesn’t update very often. At all.
It appears the original data source only updates once every 3 hours. I’ve changed the blog entry to reflect this.
I tried the updated link but I just get a nice closeup view of the USA and no clouds – as much as I’m sure like me to think that the States is forever in sunshine, I just can’t believe it 🙂
Any ideas?
(I’m using the latest Version 3 of GE – 4 Beta is not very smooth to use)
If we could see how the clouds have moved in the last 24 hours (or the last few days) we could even estimate where they will move to and whether the rain will stop soon.
Wowz,near real time.Finally I found it.
Really nice!! One of the most interestings things that I’ve seen for the google earth. Congratulations. Good job.
What will be the next?????? 😀
Cool!This’s one of the best overlays I have seen,i’m a master of a BBS website about this software,do u have intersting to collaborate with us?This’s our BBS website URL:http://www.gearthbbs.com/
Meh….just a copy of a capability xplanet has had for years.
Richard wrote: “I tried the updated link but I just get a nice closeup view of the USA and no clouds – as much as I’m sure like me to think that the States is forever in sunshine, I just can’t believe it :)”
I have the same problem. What am i not doing?
have got cloud map of earth up.but haveblank strip from nth. to sth. abou 3 inches wide with no cloud map
Does this ‘save’ weather histories, or periods of weather. So that playback can show how global weather had changed during user selected periods of time? Something like a globular video of weather patterns would seem very cool. Finally a person could really study weather change dynamics. Thanks for any encouragement– I need such a system which can continuously add history chapters. Preferably downloadable, so that user can store histories on HD.
Thanks