Don't miss out on our Hurricane Tracking Layers upgrade sale! Today is the last day to sign up for the 2009 Hurricane Season and save 35% off the retail price -- that's a $70 discount! For the first time this season, you will be able to:
17 layers in all give you extremely detailed and precise information about each Hurricane's track and anticipated movements, including:
Upgrade Your Account Today! Complete 2009 Hurricane Season: Regular Price: $199.97 Sale Price: $129.97 SALE ENDS TODAY!!! |      |
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Last Day to Save $70 on Hurricane Upgrade
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Summertime Threats
We're in peak summer now, which means most of the U.S. is vulnerable to the following summertime weather threats:
- Tornadoes: Up to 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries per year
- Flash Floods: Number ONE weather killer - 146 deaths annually
- Lightning: Kills 75-100 people each year
- Damaging Straight-line Winds: Can reach 140 mph
- Severe Hail: Can reach the size of a grapefruit - causes several hundred million dollars in damage annually to property and crops
(Source: NOAA)
Depending on where you live, some threats are more common than others. For example, Florida is known as the Lightning Capital of the World. And Kansas and Oklahoma have more Tornadoes per square-mile than any other region in the world.
This week's update includes some unfortunate news from Colorado and Virginia, although this is just a sampling of what has been going on around the country, and will continue throughout the summer months. As we move into late summer and early fall, new threats will emerge including Tropical Storms and Hurricanes.
So stay tuned to the seasons, and know what the main weather threats are for your region of the country. Its the essential first step in your weather preparedness plan.
Best Regards,
Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
SWIFT Weather
Also in this update:
In The News
Aurora, Colorado Tornado Rated As EF-1
National Weather Service Meteorologist Assess Damage Denver ABC-7 Affiliate, Photo by Brittany McKown
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service said Monday that the tornado that dropped in southeast Aurora Sunday afternoon rated an EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Based on a damage assessment conducted Sunday and Monday, the tornado had estimated wind speeds of around 100 mph, said Bob Glancy with the National Weather Service.
Full Story >>
Boy, 12, Killed by Lightning on Baseball Field
Boy, 12, Killed by Lightning on Baseball Field
By FOX News
A 12-year-old Virginia boy is dead after he and his friend were struck by lightning while playing catch on a baseball field Wednesday night.
The Little League umpire called the game around 6:30 p.m. and ordered everyone off the field in Fredericksburg, Va., because of dark clouds, rain, hail and lightning.
But, Chelal Gross-Matos and his unidentified 11-year-old friend lingered on the field playing catch, the station reported.
"Their parents were close by. Their children were being supervised by their parents and they were just kind of playing catch with one another when they were struck," said First Sergeant Liz Scott, a spokeswoman with the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Department.
Community Spotlight
Patrick Callahan
Pierre / Fort Pierre, South Dakota
Weather Defender Username: OaheTV
OaheTV is the public/education/government cable channel for the City of Pierre, City of Fort Pierre, Pierre Public School district and is the webmaster for the City of Pierre, State Capital of South Dakota
www.pierre.sd.gov.
Special Certifications:
Former United Press International (UPI) Chief of Bureau for North & South Dakota, Capital Bureau Chief for ABC Newswire
How do you use Weather Defender in your professional responsibilities?
Weather Defender is now my 'go to' preference for early public alerting and notification of severe weather. My responsibilities include broadcasting weather information to central South Dakota, in a television market where the nearest call letter station is more than three hours away. My job also requires me to provide off air detailed weather reports to city administration, public safety, public works, transportation, and other local government agencies.
Weather Defender provides me with detailed forecasting tools, the ability to monitor and track developing weather systems, and a customizable perimeter alerting feature that triggers information to be sent to me and/or my local government team.
It's the simplicity of use that makes Weather Defender unique. Weather Defender allows me access to these features at home, at work, or from my mobile phone - quickly, easily, and reliably.
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.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Track Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, and Typhoons in Weather Defender
Hurricane Season has begun, and we are proud to announce the new Hurricane Tracking Layers upgrade for Weather Defender!
All layers are vector-based, which means they scale infinitely with zoom level. Overlay Counties, Cities, Streets, or import your own custom Shapefiles and determine the impact of approaching storm systems to your exact region.
A full set of layers is provided for each and every active storm, and will be continuously updated as new advisories are issued.
17 layers in all give you extremely detailed and precise information about each Hurricane's track and anticipated movements, including:
Upgrade Your Account Today!
Complete 2009 Hurricane Season, June through December:
* Discount Expires on Wednesday, June 10th.
- Monitor Tropical Storms & Hurricanes on a world-wide map
- Predict future locations and estimate max wind speeds
- Know precisely where and when Hurricanes will make landfall
All layers are vector-based, which means they scale infinitely with zoom level. Overlay Counties, Cities, Streets, or import your own custom Shapefiles and determine the impact of approaching storm systems to your exact region.
A full set of layers is provided for each and every active storm, and will be continuously updated as new advisories are issued.
17 layers in all give you extremely detailed and precise information about each Hurricane's track and anticipated movements, including:
Hurricane Summary (Worldwide)
- Current Wind Speeds
- Forecasted Track
- Forecasted Winds
- Error Swaths
- Wind Probabilities
- Past Track
- Past Wind Speeds
- Coastal Watches and Warnings
- Rainfall Estimates: 24, 48, 72 hours in advance
- Possible/Imminent Flood Outlook
Upgrade Your Account Today!
Complete 2009 Hurricane Season, June through December:
Upgrade Today & Save 35%!
Regular Price: $199.97
Sale Price: $129.97
Sale Price: $129.97
* Discount Expires on Wednesday, June 10th.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
National Hurricane Preparedness Week
"History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster." -- National Hurricane Center (US)
There are an average of about 6 hurricanes each year in the Atlantic, 2 of those being being at least Category 3 or stronger. So with the official start of Hurricane Season just a few days away, this is as good a time as any to begin making preparations if you reside in the path of "Hurricane Alley".
The ever-vigilant forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are spending this week educating the public as to the history, threats, and preparations we should be aware of during this very unpredictable season.
So take a few minutes and educate yourself with these resources. Hurricane season starts June 1st -- the time to prepare is now!
Best Regards,
Rory Groves
Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
SWIFT Weather
Also in this update:
Under Development
2009 Hurricane Season Data
For the first time ever, we are making available a complete and very comprehensive Hurricane Datatset for the 2009 Hurricane Season!
Each Tropical Storm and Hurricane will come with its own selection of layers which you can track with precision in Weather Defender.
The dataset selection includes:
- Current Location
- Wind Ranges
- Forecast Tracks
- Forecast Wind Swath
- Forecast Error Swath Wind Probabilities
- Past Tracks
- Advisory Positions
- Past Wind Swath
- Hurricane Watches and Warnings
- Rainfall Estimates (1-3 Days)
- Flooding Outlook
The Hurricane Data will be available soon as an optional upgrade to your basic membership. Stay tuned for pricing details and a special discount promotion!
Community Spotlight
Adam Wainwright
Page County, Iowa
Username: Firemedicadam
Occupation: Assistant Coordiantor for Page County Emergency Management
How do you use Weather Defender in your professional responsibilities?
I used Weather Defender almost every day to look at pending storms coming into our area. I have also worked with other Emergency Management Agencies as well as Fire Depts to educate them on the capabilities of Weather Defender. I use it while viewing at home, as well as using the alert perimeter and email / text capabilities. This is great for when I am out "in the field" and it alerts my phone of attributes or other alert profiles.
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.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Unexpected but Prepared
Vacations are a rare thing for me during the severe weather season, but at the urging of my wife I decided to travel with her to Kansas City on a short weekend excursion. Of course, I packed the laptop "just-in-case" but promised not to work.My sister-in-law was playing an outdoor concert near Kansas City and it sounded like a great opportunity to connect with my family and get away from the grind for a few days.
Well, I did in fact break out the laptop, but not to work. Turns out that eastern Kansas was under a "Moderate Risk" for severe weather the day of the concert and I could tell from observing the wind and humidity patterns on the ground that things could get ugly fast.
In addition, I was among 500 or so other concert-goers who were plainly exposed in open air to any and every weather threat coming our way.
I booted up Weather Defender on my laptop and using a Sprint EVDO card for Internet access, I created a 20-mile Alert Perimeter around the concert site, monitoring for Lightning, Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Warnings. I configured the alerts to go to my cell phone as well as my wife's phone just in case we were separated. Leaving the laptop running in my sister's tour bus, I returned to the concert.
The storms did indeed come, but skirted north of us by about 25-30 miles. Everyone enjoyed the concert and went home safely. It really made all the difference to me knowing that Weather Defender was continually watching the skies for potential threats.
I don't know if you call that a working vacation, but it was definitely a happy ending.
Best Regards,
Rory Groves
Best Regards,
Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
SWIFT Weather
Also in this update:
In The News
Severe storms, tornadoes batter Missouri
Dirk VanderHart, Springfield News-Leader
Suspected tornadoes tore through southwest Missouri this morning, killing an elderly man and ripping the roof off of a high school as students fled the building.
Shortly before noon, the National Weather Service here said nine tornado tracks had been reported in the area, though none have been confirmed as tornadoes. The service reported winds of 60 to 80 mph.
Wildfire imperils Santa Barbara
By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, AP
Powerful winds during a night in which "all hell broke loose" have pushed a raging wildfire to the doorstep of this wealthy coastal city, threatening to destroy dozens more homes and leading to the evacuation of more than 20,000 people.
Firefighters were putting out roof fires Friday as gusts drove the flames down from the steep canyons above Santa Barbara and started burning homes in the residential flatlands. Once tame, the fire front now stretches for five miles, city Fire Chief Andres Dimizio said. "Literally last night, all hell broke loose," he said.
Follow us on
Twitter!
Receive occasional updates and announcemens via on the Weather Defender Twitter feed.
Community Spotlight
Brian Vauter
San Antonio, Texas
Username: sacaver
Silver Defender
Occupation: Cavern Geologist/ Operations Manager/IT guy for Natural Bridge Caverns, Inc.
We are a commercial cave operation located near San Antonio, Texas in the Texas Hill Country.
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.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Weather Preparedness Training
I had the opportunity to provide on-site training at a couple of organizations recently. The first was Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM) located in Ashland, Nebraska. This organization oversees camping operations across several sites and two states. The forward-thinking directors were evaluating technology solutions to help keep them informed of severe weather, and ultimately improve camper safety. They liked Weather Defender's ability to proactively alert users on a myriad of weather threats at multiple locatons, and have made the Alert Perimeter feature a key component of their overall Weather Safety strategy. The second training session (pictured) was held at the Pottawattamie County EOC in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The team at Pott. County has done a superb job mapping out storm spotter positions and overcoming communications inefficiencies. Weather Defender will play a role in their Emergency Operations Center, as the operators communicate threat details to deployed storm spotters.
In a software development firm, it's easy to become disconnected from your customers, so I thoroughly enjoyed holding these training sessions and getting a chance to meet several of our clients face-to-face.
Best Regards,
Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
Also in this update:
New Layer: Fire Detections
The Fire Detections layer displays active fire detections for the last 7 days using remote-sensing satellite technology.
Different from the Wild Fires layer we introduced last week, which was only for large-incident fires, the Fire Detections layer is generated using MODIS satellite technology and incidents may range from controlled burns to uncontained wildfires.
Community Spotlight
Joseph White
Golden Valley, Minnesota
Username: joecasa
Silver Defender
Occupation: Owner, ThoseFunnyFatGuys, LLC
We sell comedy scripts and other material to radio stations to use during commuter drive time shows.
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.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Free Activation on Weather Defender expires Tomorrow
Free Activation Sale!
Only 2 Days Left to Save $35
on new account activations
Discount offer expires tomorrow (4/24/09)
With, Weather Defender, its EASY to stay ahead of threatening weather:
- Configure one or more Alert Perimeters for your home, office, or job site
- Select the types of weather threats you want to monitor
- Receive threat alerts instantly on your computer, e-mail or cell phone whenever your Perimeter is breached
Weather Defender can detect numerous types
of weather threats, including:
- Lightning
- Hail
- Heavy Rain
- High Winds
- Tornadoes
- Wild Fires
- Earthquakes
- ...and many others!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)