WEATHERBUGŪ OFFERS EXCLUSIVE LIVE WEATHER DATA AND TOP METEOROLOGICAL EXPERTS FOR TRACKING AND UNDERSTANDING EVERY MOVE OF HURRICANE FRANCES
WeatherBug Meteorological Teams On-Site Forecasting and Blogging Live During
Hurricane Frances http://weatherbug.blogs.com/
WeatherBug, which provides live neighborhood weather across the U.S. to broadcasters, federal and state government agencies, the National Weather Service, schools, consumers and businesses is actively tracking Hurricane Frances and has the infrastructure and expert team available for reporting on the storm, minute-by-minute:
On-the-Scene Meteorologists WeatherBug has two field teams on-site in Jacksonville , FL and Savannah , GA reporting and forecasting as Hurricane Frances heads toward the coast. Meteorologists Ryan Towell and Stephanie Blozy can offer expert commentary on storm predictions and community preparation. At headquarters, a team led by Chief Meteorologist Mark Hoekzema, will also be following the storm.
Rich Proprietary Data WeatherBug has over 7,000 weather tracking stations placed strategically in neighborhoods across the U.S., monitoring "local" live conditions including wind speed, wind direction, temperature, rain rate and barometric pressure as it changes from the effects of Frances .
Weblog Live Reports
On-the-scene meteorologist Ryan Towell will be heading up a team who will be reporting and tracking Hurricane Frances ' progress live via an online journal, or weblog, at http://weatherbug.blogs.com/ and via live interviews. Ryan successfully blogged Hurricane Charley last month generating over 200 user comments and 100 in-bound links tracking the coverage of the storm.
To schedule interviews with the WeatherBug experts, or for more information, please contact Meredith Topalanchik at 212-455-8018.
With 24.4 million unique monthly users in July, according to comScore Media Metrix, WeatherBug is a top source for news and information online, providing live, accurate conditions that stream directly from local weather stations. WeatherBug is powered by its own comprehensive network of over 7,000 live weather tracking stations, based primarily at schools nationwide, as well as other community locations.
WeatherBug Field Team
RYAN TOWELL
Ryan Towell joined WeatherBug in January 2004 and is part of the Meteorology Team. Before WeatherBug, Towell was seen on-air at KAMC-TV in Lubbock , Texas from 1997-1999, then in Rochester , MN on KXLT/KTTC-TV from 1999-2002 as their Chief Meteorologist.
This is Towell's second hurricane "chase." He was in the heart of Charley and he is now chasing after Frances !
STEPHANIE BLOZY
Stephanie Blozy is the Director of Operations for the Media Services Group and oversees the support of WeatherBug's broadcast partners, assisting them in utilizing the WeatherBug products to provide up to the minute weather coverage.
Blozy first worked at the NWS forecast office in Philadelphia , and then as an operational forecaster for a company that specialized in roadway forecasts for State DOTs and airports.
Blozy is part of the Hurricane Frances meteorology team that will be traveling into the storm. She will cover the storm from a community perspective as people prepare for, ride-out and clean-up from the storm. Her prior storm coverage for WeatherBug includes providing hands-on support to broadcast partners in Philadelphia during Hurricane Isabel in 2003 and Miami during Hurricane Charley in 2004.
WeatherBug Headquarters Team
MARK HOEKZEMA
Mark Hoekzema is WeatherBug's Chief Meteorologist overseeing the development and distribution of weather content and news featured in all WeatherBug products. Hoekzema earned a degree in Physical Science with concentrations in Math, Meteorology and Computer Science from the University of Maryland . He then completed his master's course studies while working at WRC-TV, the NBC station in Washington D.C.
In 2000, after nearly 15 years in broadcasting, Hoekzema came to WeatherBug. Since then he has headed up the WeatherBug Storm Chaser team, and in 2001 had the opportunity to experience the landfall of Hurricane Gordon as it came ashore in the Big Bend area of Florida . Recently Hoekzema led a team on a Storm Chase in 2004 and has tracked and provided live coverage of Hurricanes Fran, Isabel, Charley, Bonnie and now Frances.
About WeatherBug®
WeatherBug (weatherbug.com) ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and communities always get the most precise live weather conditions, the most relevant reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard their property and their lives. WeatherBug owns the world's largest weather network, which has more than 7,000 live tracking stations and over 1,000 cameras that generate neighborhood level reports every second, not just every hour. This network powers various products and services, including: WeatherBug, the number one weather Internet application, with over 45 million downloads, streams live neighborhood conditions to its home and work users; WeatherBug Media Services, which delivers live weather information to over 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with more than 100 local television stations; WeatherBug Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an online learning program for K-12 schools called WeatherBug Achieve; and WeatherBug Professional Services, which uses the company's unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, transportation, and first response. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (aws.com).
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* comScore Media Metrix Daily Unique Visitor custom report.
