Global Wind Map Screensaver
The Global Wind Map screensaver is a living map of the planet's winds, with thousands of particles streaming along the real-time global wind field sampled from the key-less Open-Meteo API. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.
How the Global Wind Map screensaver works
The saver samples wind speed and direction across a global grid of points in a single request to the free Open-Meteo API — no key needed.
Thousands of particles are scattered over a dim world map, each one following the wind vector interpolated from the surrounding grid.
As they drift they leave fading trails, so the screen reveals the great streams and swirls of the planet's weather, like a model flow map.
Particles that wander off are respawned, and the whole field refreshes every few minutes to track the changing winds.
A worked example
Trade winds comb steadily across the tropics while jet streams whip in tight ribbons and storms turn in slow spirals — all drawn from the live wind field, the particles tracing the air's real motion across the globe.
Settings & tips
- Particle density sets how many streamers fill the map.
- Flow speed controls how fast the particles travel.
- Wind color recolours the streamers.
Frequently asked questions
- Are the winds real and live?
- Yes. The flow field is sampled live from the Open-Meteo weather model and refreshed every few minutes, so the streams reflect current winds.
- Does it need a key?
- No. Open-Meteo is free and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.
- How detailed is the wind field?
- It samples a coarse global grid, so it captures the large-scale streams and swirls beautifully rather than fine local gusts.
- How is this different from Weather Radar?
- Radar shows precipitation over one region; the Wind Map shows the whole planet's air movement as flowing particles.
- Is it free?
- Yes — free, no download, in your browser.