Press Releases

Press  >  August 12, 2004 Press Release

WEATHERBUG ® METEOROLOGISTS AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE EXPERT COMMENTARY ON HURRICANE CHARLEY/TROPICAL STORM BONNIE AND HOW TO PREPARE

WeatherBug Meteorologist Ryan Towell Blogs the Storm Live from Florida at www.weatherbug.com/charley

Gaithersburg , Maryland - August 12, 2004 - Tropical Storm Bonnie is expected to impact the Florida panhandle today and Hurricane Charley is expected to make landfall on the state's lower coast tomorrow. WeatherBug is actively tracking both storms and has meteorologists who can provide the media with weather data, expert analysis and advice on how to prepare. WeatherBug provides live neighborhood weather from across the U.S. to broadcasters, federal and state government agencies, the National Weather Service, schools, consumers and businesses.

WeatherBug has nearly 280 live weather monitoring stations across Florida . These stations monitor current conditions in real-time, such as wind speed, wind direction, temperature, rain rate and barometric pressure, and in many cases stream live camera images. WeatherBug's meteorologists have access to this rich proprietary local data and can speak about the storms from either a local or a national point of view. In addition WeatherBug's Media partners in Ft. Myers, Florida WZVN (ABC 7) and WBBH (NBC 2) offer views with live data from 5 live cameras and 20 weather stations that will be tracking every second of the storm as well as WFTS, ABC Action News in Tampa, Florida. These media partners will be delivering live, life saving information throughout the course of the storm.

In addition, WeatherBug meteorologist Ryan Towell has been dispatched to Florida to track Hurricane Charley's progress live via an online journal, or weblog, at http://www.WeatherBug.com/charley. On the blog, Towell will log his experiences and document how the region is preparing for, and weathering the storm. In addition, he will also provide regular updates to the Westwood One Radio Network.

To schedule interviews with either of the following experts, please contact Meredith Topalanchik at 212-455-8018 or Lesley Weiner at 212-455-8079.

With 21.5 unique monthly users in June, 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 a comprehensive network of over 7,000 live weather monitoring stations, that are based primarily at schools nationwide, as well as other community locations.

RYAN TOWELL
WeatherBug Meteorologist Ryan Towell is a former TV meteorologist who earned the American Meteorological Society (AMS) TV Seal of Approval in 2000.

MARK HOEKZEMA
Mark Hoekzema, Chief Meteorologist for WeatherBug, has more than 15 years' experience as a meteorologist. He joined WeatherBug in 2000 from WRC-TV/NBC4 in Washington .

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 sensors 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 43 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).

Contacts:
Meredith Topalanchik
212-455-8018
mtopalanchik@cooperkatz.com

Lesley Weiner
212-455-8079
lweiner @cooperkatz.com