Google Earth's 3D maps made navigating fun and easy. But beyond its graphics, it didn't offer much more than its flatter counterpart Google Maps. Until now. The service has added a clouds layer, which shows real-time rain and snow weather patterns. Although it's only available for parts of North America and Western Europe, the new component adds a very practical component to the program:

Maybe the coolest thing about the new feature is that it's in real time, updated as it actually happens. That means you can track weather patterns, storms (including scary ones like hurricanes), and watch them as they move across the map.

Read the full story at Fast Company.