Some helpful links for those that want to forecast. I use 'em and so should you....
Here are the typical tools I utilize to make my forecasts. Not all of my preferred tools are here, but you get the idea as to what I will do to make a typical forecast. First I will look at the satellite images and loops to get an idea of what is going on over a huge area. The satellites will also show where the major systems are, and where they came from.
Radar is instrumental in showing where storms are their strongest. This not only tells Meteorologists where it is raining or snowing, but also helps them issue the warnings that save lives. The picture on the right is an example of a text-book "hook-echo". You can see the very defined "hook" which indicates strong rotation within the storm. This echo could indicate the presence of a tornado, very large hail, and/or strong winds.
Surface plots bring a load of information at once. They typically show the temperature, dewpoint, cloud cover, and whether or not that particular station is receiving any precipitation and the type.
Upper air data show meteorologists how the atmosphere is changing with height. If the meteorologist can develop an idea of what is going on at all levels of the atmosphere, a more accurate forecast will almost always be made. Understanding of upper air data can also tell a forecaster if severe weather is likely to occur.
Finally numerical models are simply guidance. They are computer programs that take into account the current observations and attempt to mimic the weather pattern in order to predict what will happen next. The model's accuracy is sometime in question. That is why a good Meteorologist will always make his/her own forecast.