How to Make a Weather Forecast Graphic for Video

Step by step

1. 1

   Choose the bulletin beat

   Five-Day Forecast is the panel of day cards that closes a bulletin. Rain Radar Loop suits a rain story, with cells stepping across a scope and range rings. Severe Weather Alert is the one for interrupting a presenter or live footage when a warning needs to go out. Storm Front Map handles the wider explanation.

2. 2

   Enter your forecast

   On Five-Day Forecast, Labels holds the day names, Values holds the highs and Title holds the heading. Lows sit a fixed 8 degrees under each high, and the condition icons run in a set order, so check they suit your week. On Severe Weather Alert, Title carries the warning and Subtitle the detail line.

3. 3

   Time the panel and place the bar

   Cards rise one at a time across the 7.5 second default, so leave the panel up for all of it before you cut. Switch to 9:16 and the cards become stacked rows for a phone. On the alert, Position moves the bar and Speed sets the pace of its animation, so keep it clear of your own captions.

4. 4

   Export by what sits behind it

   Use MP4 for the forecast, radar, map and heatmap, since each ships on a solid dark background and fills the frame. Severe Weather Alert is transparent, and MP4 cannot store that. Export it as a PNG sequence for Premiere Pro, After Effects or Resolve, or as WebM with alpha for CapCut or OBS.

5. 5

   Build the bulletin in your editor

   In Premiere Pro, choose File > Import, select the first frame of the alert, tick Image Sequence and lay it above the presenter. In OBS, add the alert WebM as a Media Source above your camera and show it when a warning goes out. The forecast MP4s simply cut in between presenter shots.

Where it is used

• Local news bulletins

  A regional news segment cuts from the presenter to Five-Day Forecast with local day names and highs, then to Rain Radar Loop while the presenter talks through the wet part of the week.

• Vertical daily forecasts

  A travel or outdoor channel posts a short daily update at 9:16, using the stacked forecast rows so the temperatures stay legible on a phone without any manual layout work.

• Live severe weather coverage

  A community broadcaster streaming through a storm keeps Severe Weather Alert ready as a media source, then shows it over the camera with the exact warning wording and end time.

Presets

5

Default length

7.5 to 10 seconds

Best export

MP4; PNG sequence or WebM for the alert

Aspect ratios

16:9, 9:16, 1:1, 4:5

Which format should you export?

Transparent WebM for icons and alert bars over a map or a presenter, MP4 when the forecast panel fills the frame.

Format

MP4 · WebM · PNG sequence

Alpha

WebM or PNG sequence

Resolution

720p to 8K

Aspect

16:9 · 9:16 · 1:1 · 4:5

License

Commercial use included

Three tips that make it look intentional

• Five days is the expected span; more crowds a phone screen.
• Use the conventional temperature ramp so viewers read it instantly.
• Reserve the red alert styling for genuine warnings.

Three things people get wrong

• Using an alert color scheme that conflicts with the one the local service uses.
• Animating a radar sweep faster than the timestamps on it suggest.
• Putting five days on screen at a size nobody can read on a phone.

Frequently asked