I have learned that the following ten qualities - in increasing order of importance - are integral to an effective weather map:
10. Personality. Everyone loves to hate the weather man.
9. Branding. Let 'em know who you are.
8. Stylized arrows, such as those used to represent storm fronts or wind.
7. Forecast. Do it somehow. You can look out the window and see it's raining.
6. Large amorphous patches of color should look like clouds, or other amorphous weather features. Notice the green "rain" in the doppler radar image
5. Your map should suit your audience. Notice the WSJ weather map is full of names and numbers, just like the stock pages. Channel 4 news, however, looks like Loony Toons.
4. Lots of color. Everywhere. It makes it exciting.
3. .Lines and splotches. Best to use both. Lines can represent storms, wind, roads, political boundaries. Splotches can represent weather features like temperature, rain, etc.
2. Use of color for temperature. Red=HOT and Blue=COLD. Always.
1. A recognizable map. You need to know where you're looking at.
