NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information
NOAA's Weather and Climate Toolkit

Java Requirements

WCT Versions 4.8.1 and after: The java module system is used to generate a custom Java Runtime Environment (JRE) containing just the modules needed for the WCT application. Version 4.8.1 uses OpenJDK Java 17.0.3 to generate the runtime. A separate install of Java is NOT required when using the platform-specific downloads for Intel (X86) or ARM (AArch64) CPU architectures.

Some organizations prefer to manage Java independently of tools that require Java. The 'No-JRE' option is available, which does not include a custom runtime. OpenJDK Version 17 or newer is required, from any of the OpenJDK providers including Microsoft, Adaptium, Oracle and more...

WCT Version 4.0.0 to 4.8.0: The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 1.8 (also known as Java 8) or greater must be installed. WCT Version before 4.0.0: The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 1.7 (also known as Java 7) or greater must be installed.

WCT Version 4.0.0 or after: The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Version 1.8 (also known as Java 8) or greater must be installed.

Administrator privileges are not needed to use the Weather and Climate Toolkit. Simply download the application as a zip file, unzip and: double-click the 'wct.exe' (Windows), double-click the WCT Application (Mac), or run the 'wct-viewer' script (Linux).

Note:
Administrative privileges are needed to:

  • Install/update a newer version of Java.

User Computer Minimum RAM:

  • Weather and Climate Toolkit - 512M