Spring has sprung

While the trees are still trying to bud here in the northern latitudes, the hot, dry summer climate is steadily invading the southern states.

The last few weeks have seen numerous Red Flag (Fire) warnings throughout Oklahama and Texas, along with a few dozen large wildfires.

It's another reminder that each new season brings its own weather challenges. In Spring and Summer it's tornadoes, flooding, and forest fires. In Fall and Winter it's wind storms, freezing rain, and blizzards. When it comes to weather safety, there is never a season for complacency.

But each season also brings its own weather joys. It's finally warm enough around here to start enjoying the weekends outside. I think I'll go for a bike ride tomorrow, weather permitting!

Best Regards,

Rory Groves

Founder & CEO

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Also in this update:

New Layer: Wild Fires

The Wild Fires layer indicates large-incident forest and wild fires across the United States.

Incorporating data from NASA, the Interagency Fire Center, and USDA Forest Service, the Wild Fires layer depicts locations of large-incident fires on your map in Weather Defender.

Events new!

Rory Groves will be speaking and demonstrating Weather Defender at Pottawattamie County EOC.

Date:

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Time:

7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location:

Pottawattamie County EOC

Council Bluffs, Iowa

Event is free & open to the public, but please RSVP.

Community Spotlight

Tom Raiola

Brandford, Connecticut

Username: astrocom

Silver Defender

Occupation: Accounting Manager, Brewer Yacht Yards

Brewer Bruce & Johnson's Marina is located in Branford, CT. We are one of twenty two full service yacht yards on the east coast of Long Island Sound.

The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.

Ground truth

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
-- Bill Gates, 1981

The advances in weather technology over the past few decades is nothing short of miraculous. A Doppler Radar beam can not only detect individual droplets of rain, but can "see" which direction they are moving! This information can then be translated into rotational detection algorithms predicting where a tornado may be forming.

And Doppler Radar is 20 years old! Just imagine what we'll see 20 years from now.

While every generation of technology brings new promise and new capabilities, there is one element that will never become obsolete: the human element. What is being reported by real people experiencing the severe weather right now? Meteorologists call this "ground truth" and it is absolutely essential to the public warning process.

Someday, weather prediction technology may be perfected. But until then, we need human eyes and human minds observing, reporting, and contributing to every community's safety.

Regards,

Rory Groves

Founder & CEO

P.S. Those tornado-prediction algorithms I referred to are known as Tornado Vortex Signatures and may be plotted in Weather Defender using the "Storm Attributes" layer.

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Also in this update:

Layer Insight

Storm Reports provide "ground truth" during severe weather outbreaks.

Local Storm Reports -- reported by trained storm spotters and disseminated by the National Weather Service -- provide verification for what is actually happening during severe weather outbreaks.

2009 Spotter Training

Weather Spotter training, conducted by the National Weather Service, is underway in most states.

If you have not participated before, or if its been a few years and you would like a refresher, Spotter Training classes are an excellent way to get free training and meet the weather service professionals in your community.

Check your local weather service office for training times and locations.

Community Spotlight

Ryan Westlie

Caldwell County, Kentucky

Username: rwestlie

Silver Defender, Level 2

Occupation: Lead Computer Technician, Caldwell County Board of Education

The employees of Caldwell County Schools are responsible for the education and welfare of the kids that attend our district. When severe weather breaks we have to be able to make timely decisions for their safety.

The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.

A shining example

I just got off the phone with my friend Eric Whitehill (username, 'eric') who evacuated his home in Fargo last night. Eric spent the past several days sandbagging levees around his house and hoping for the best. But with the Red River continuing to rise, he finally decided to make the tough decision and seek safety elsewhere with his family.

 

Most of us will never be forced out of our homes by weather, but the threat is very real. Be it hurricanes, tornadoes, or flooding, hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people have been dislocated by weather catastrophies over the past few years.

 

As a Skywarn Instructor, storm chaser, and self-trained meteorologist, Eric understands the threat of weather disasters. He paid constant attention to the weather system using every technology at his disposal. Eric stayed connected with the local Weather Service office and helped relay vital information to other emergency professionals. But most importantly, he didn't didn't ignore the danger signs. Eric took responsibility for his own family and ensured their safety in a crisis situation.  

 

Eric is a shining example of what it means to be a Weather Defender, and I for one am inspired by his strength.

Regards,

Rory Groves
Founder & CEO

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Also in this update:

In The News

Thousands flee Fargo ahead of menacing floodwaters

(AP) FARGO, N.D. - Thousands of shivering, tired residents got out while they could and others prayed that miles of sandbagged levees would hold Friday as the surging Red River threatened to unleash the biggest flood North Dakota's largest city has ever seen.

We're on Facebook!

Get the latest news & announcments and connect with other users in the Weather Defender Group on Facebook!

 

Sign into Facebook

Events

We will be hosting a Weather Defender training session in April. 

 

Topics include:

* Forecasting and monitoring Severe Weather in Weather Defender

* Weather Safety & Prepardness Topics TBD

 

Date:

Thursday, April 16, 2009

 

Time:

9:30am - 11:30am

 

Location:

CJH Retreat Center

27416 Ranch Rd

Ashland, NE

 

Event is free & open to the public, but please RSVP.

Community Spotlight

Mike Disher

Morrison County, Minnesota

Username: GeekUnderling

Silver Defender

 

Occupation: Director of Technology Services, Morrison County. We support the technology systems that support the services provided by all County functional departments for the taxpayers, residents and other service customers of Morrison County.

The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.

Your best defense

There are many tools available to the emergency professional, but lets face it: gadgets and gizmos alone will not protect people and property without the proper knowledge of how to use them. Knowledge is your best defense when it comes to weather safety.

A good understanding of how your opponent operates (in this case, severe weather) and wise application of the right tools will significantly improve your odds of avoiding catastrophe.

It is our goal to help you make smarter decisions by providing you with the best weather-tracking tools available and making them easy to use and understand.

Regards,
Rory Groves

Founder & CEO

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Also in this update:

Layer Insight

Convective Outlooks provide at-a-glance severe weather forecasts.

Convective Outlooks, issued daily by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, are an excellent way to stay on top of severe weather. 

We're on Facebook!

NEW THIS WEEK! Get the latest news & announcments and connect with other users in the Weather Defender Group on Facebook!

Sign into Facebook

Community Spotlight

Kevin Haney

Tracey, Minnesota

 

Username: haneyk

Silver Defender, Level 2

Occupation: Sr. Systems Engineer at Schwan Food Company (Makes frozen food such as Red Baron Pizza, Tony's Pizza, frozen Ice Cream www.schwans.com)

 

The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.

Welcome!

Welcome to the first Weather Defender Community Update! The purpose of this letter is to keep you aprised of new developments regarding Weather Defender as well as news which may be relevant to the community.

It has been exciting around here, to say the least. Weather Defender was released one week ago today and the response has been incredible! We have never seen anything like it in our prior product launches. So thank you for taking an interest in Weather Defender. We are looking forward to building upon this foundation with many great improvements to come.

Regards,
Rory Groves

Founder & CEO

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Also in this update:

New Layer: Earthquakes

Track Earthquake epicenters and magnitudes right on your Weather Defender Map.

Worldwide Earthquake data, provided by the US Geological Survey (USGS) is now available.

How do I...?

Have question about Weather Defender? Chances are so has someone else, and there's a pretty good chance its already been answered in the Frequently Asked Questions section of our Website.

Visit: http://www.weatherdefender.com/wiki/FAQ.ashx

Updates and additions are being made frequently.

Community Spotlight


Jamie Robinson
Perryville, Missouri

Username: jamierob
Silver Defender, Level 4

Occupation: Manager at TG Missouri Corporation. We manufacture automotive parts: steering wheels, airbags and several components inside the interior of the car.


The full Community Update is sent out every other week to all members of the Weather Defender Community. If you would like to join, click here to get started.

Weather Defender is Live!

 


After nearly 2 years in development, Weather Defender is live! Please check out the new website at: www.weatherdefender.com

My deepest gratitude to the SWIFT Weather staff and volunteer beta testers who helped prepare this final release. It has been an honor to work with you. And to my wife and best friend Becca, who supported me every step of the way.


Rory

Screenshots of the new version "Weather Defender"

NOTE: If you haven't seen the special discount we are offering on the new version, click here to watch the video. Thursday (March 5) is the last day you can sign up.

Redesigned interface

Combined weather & geography layers

County-level streets

Smoothed radar contouring

Real-time positioning & group chat

Share map markers & discuss points of interest

Topographic backgrounds

Hurricane Gustav makes landfall (2008)

Storm Reports with mouseover tool-tips

Convective outlooks & probabalistic graphics

Contouring features for generating lines, shapes,
or gridded points from source datasets

Color Palette Editor for contoured & Radar data

GPS tracking (status panel shown)

...and many, many more features that are not shown here!