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What is WeatherMaster ? A comprehensive site featuring weather data from the continental United States. Reports are available from the National Weather Service offices from around the country. Latest radar images, satellite photos, and other graphic images of weather products that might affect you. We can transmit weather alerts or data, directly to your e-mail box, text pager, text-enabled cell phone, web-enabled PDA, or text-enabled Blackberry device. We are the ONLY service of its kind to offer such a wide range of products, to a wide range of devices. And its FREE to individual users. WeatherMaster started operations in 1998 with ordinary e-mail notification and expanded into text pager & cell phone text messaging in 2000, becoming the very first service to do so. WeatherMaster is the ONLY service that transmits its data to the major (and regional) cell phone & pager carriers (11 in all).
What does WeatherMaster cost ? Nothing for the standard service, but a fee-based premium is available. Radio & television stations, newspapers, and other companies can purchase the service, for the benefit for their audience/employees (which they can place in the public inspection file as offering a service for the general community, fulfilling the FCC requirement of "acting in the public interest as a public trustee"). The cost will be MUCH lower than other services offering the same material. One leading weather e-mail service charges nearly $50/year/person for the same service that we offer. Once you have signed up, we can activate your account within 24 hours. Case in point, one business (in the midwest) wanted to provide their employees (over 5,000) the WeatherMaster service, to employee cell phones in the field. They pay $125/month FOR THE ENTIRE SERVICE. Do the math, that's .02 cents/per month/employee. Almost the cheapest insurance you can buy !
Can my company "test drive" the premium service ? Sure ! You wouldn't buy a car without the test drive, would you ? Just contact us here, and you can be on your way to a 30 day, no obligation "test drive" of WeatherMaster.
What is the criteria for the "paid service" ? There's been a lot of confusion over this question. The FREE service is for INDIVIDUAL users. This means that only individual users can take advantage of the service. Corporate users are limited to 10 accounts/domain. After the 10th account is set up, the account is considered a "corporate account", and therefore becomes a premium service, subject to the rate schedules that are on hand. However, corporate accounts are priced very low. If you compare the 10-limit accounts, it would cost some companies as much as $400/per month to service this type of account. Of course, the first 10 accounts are free, but is less than $30/month for 100 corporate accounts. That's .25/account/month, if you do the math. The more corporate accounts, the cheaper it gets.
Can anyone use the service ? Absolutely. However, WeatherMaster is geared to the "advanced" weather observer. We offer products to the beginner, or the advanced user, and we'll assist anyone who needs it.
I've noticed that all of your information, is weather-related. Is the entire web site just weather-related ? Yes. Most "weather information" sites, also place news (weather related or not), sports scores, traffic information, and in a few cases, classified ads. WeatherMaster is a PROFESSIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION SITE. No sports, no non-weather news, no classified ads...just weather. In extreme cases, we will post traffic information, such as hurricane evacuation routes, and other weather-related information. When you visit the WeatherMaster site, you know you'll get all of the weather information you need.
I work as a teacher in a local elementary school, and I have a cell phone that is text messaging capable. Can I utilize my cell phone to receive weather warnings, and to protect my students ? Absolutely. In fact, we encourage EVERYONE to utilize our services, to keep abreast of the changing weather conditions. Golfers, farmers, teachers, law enforcement officers, emergency medical service personnel, hospital workers, hunters, utilities, emergency management personnel, broadcasters, and other media folks, use & depend on WeatherMaster. In most cases, you can receive alerts within 10 seconds of being issued. That makes us THE fastest service around. We provide services to many school systems, governmental & public safety entities, and other non-emergency governmental agencies. Click here to sign up !
Cingular is one of the largest cell carriers in the U.S., but you don't have them listed...Why ? In 2007, AT&T (the original Ma Bell) was purchased by SBC Communications (the parent company of Cingular). SBC announced at that time they would use the "AT&T" name. Cingular still exists, but under the AT&T name. We do support both the AT&T customers, and the Cingular brand name, but you'll find it under AT&T.
Is the same true for Sprint & Nextel ? Yes. Sprint acquired Nextel in 2006. A long process of migrating the Nextel users into the Sprint network has been ongoing since that time. Until that process is complete, we will continue to list Sprint/Nextel in our services.
I'm currently receiving the "Non-Precipitation Watches & Warnings" on my cell phone. However, it only alerts me as "A Non-Precipitation Watch is issued for your area". How can I find out what the watch or warning really is ? Since 2006, we are able "standardize" the Non-Precipitation products. All future orders for the NPW product, will be alerted to you, under the following phenomena...
Dense Fog Extreme Cold Extreme Heat High Wind Lake Wind Wind Chill Air Stagnation Heat Advisory
This will be made available in a "Watch", "Warning" or "Advisory" significance. In other words, any of the above mentioned phenomena in the Watch, Warning, or Advisory text, will be alerted to you. No longer will you get a "generalized" Non-Precipitation product. If you wish to be alerted to additional phenomena, please e-mail us, and we'll assist you.
I have seen, from time to time, WeatherMaster goes into "Alert 4" mode. What is that ? WeatherMaster utilizes an "alert mode" system, so we may better inform the public, as to the current (or future) status of overall weather. We have 5 levels of "alert status"... Alert 1 - All is quiet (or is expected to be within the next few hours). No watches or warnings issued. Alert 2 - A Flash Flood Watch (or a Winter Storm Watch) has been issued for a portion of the country. No severe weather occurring (or expected). Alert 3 - Severe weather watches currently active. Some warnings are also active (or are expected). Alert 4 - Severe weather watches & warnings occurring (conditions will be experienced within 24-48 hours). Alert 5 - Widespread severe weather occurring. Long-term watches & warnings are expected. In the 9 years of WeatherMaster's operation, an "Alert 5" has never been issued. Certain criteria MUST be met before an alert 4 or 5 can be issued.
I want to keep up with severe weather in & around my area. How do I determine what I need ? We recommend that you get the information for your county/parish, and those counties/parishes that border you. If you need help, just e-mail us, and we'll help you.
OK...You say you're service is fast. Just how fast is it ? Most cell phone users (under normal conditions), can get their alerts within SECONDS (7-10 seconds) of issuance (from the National Weather Service). When an alert is received by our servers, the turnaround of the alerts, to the mail servers is LESS THAN ONE SECOND ! The only delay is in your carrier (or ISP). All alerts are computer controlled at the Network Operations Centre (NOC), and DOES NOT require human intervention. WeatherMaster is the FASTEST service around...But don't take our word for it, click here and find out !
I'm having trouble getting my alerts. How can I get help ? Very simple. Just e-mail the problem here, and a technician from our Network Operations Centre will respond to your request. We are the ONLY service of its kind, that is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Depending on the workload, it might take a few hours to answer your question, but we will respond to it. WeatherMaster has a primary NOC, and 2 secondary NOC's, to respond to ANY problem, you may have.
I'm a public safety official, and I need the information in a timely manner. Is there an added cost to this service ? A special service for public safety officials, is now available. There is to government entities, however there are restrictions, so e-mail us here to get the latest conditions.
When I watch my local television station, the NWS issued a flash flood watch, my local television station didn't show it, but your site did. What's going on ? Its true that cable systems, radio & television stations, and WeatherMaster, get the same reports from the National Weather Service. The reason(s) that your television station didn't display the watch, could vary, including human error. This might cause a false sense of security, when a potential watch is issued, and you may not know about it. Our tests have shown when a watch/warning is issued, we have it displayed on our website, BEFORE most local television stations can display it on the air. In some instances, the television station gets it right about 50% of the time. Some stations display a watch for a county, that may not exist, others do not display a watch, when one does exist. Unlike most television stations, WeatherMaster's site is computer controlled at the Network Operations Centre, and will alarm ALL watches & warnings on our web site, and does not require human intervention. We have set our systems to alarm the following products... Tornado Watches & Warnings Severe Thunderstorm Watches & Warnings Flash Flood Watches & Warnings Winter Storm Watches & Warnings (during the winter season) In the generalized mode, our map will display all watches and warnings (listed above), so you won't miss anything.
Do you accept advertising ? Yes we do. We average over 100,000 hits/day, and your company can sponsor a page for as little as $1.00/day. Several tiers of advertising schedules are available, based on the size, and frequency of the ad. Click here for the latest schedule.
We would like to use some of your graphics for our station. How do we go about getting permission ? Depending on what graphics you would like to use, we can negotiate a special rate for our family of broadcasters. The graphic on our "localized" page is a good example. We can customize a graphic for you, and each time it changes, we can send it to you. This can be done as a small monthly charge, since it is a special order for our services. Due to security issues, special conditions will apply.
Our group is putting on an outdoor festival, and we would like WeatherMaster to provide up to the second weather information to our volunteers in the field. How do we go about this ? WeatherMaster has the ability to provide on-site weather information for any group that needs our services. We can provide "in the field" services, or we can provide services from our "NOC" (Network Operations Centre). Whether its for a day, a weekend, an entire week, or an entire month, we can propose several tiers of service, based on your needs. A few special conditions apply, so please e-mail us your needs, a time frame that you would like for us to work, and we'll get you a proposal as soon as possible.
When I visit other weather sites, I'm bombarded by "pop up ads", sometimes opening 5-10 other windows at one time. Do you practice this policy ? ABSOLUTELY NOT ! The only time a new window opens up on WeatherMaster, is when you call up a report, or image. We use third-party services, for system monitoring purposes, and they may generate pop-up ads, if you click on them.
What is the "localized" page ? This is a new feature that WeatherMaster has brought online. From time to time, severe weather might impact a certain area of the United States. If that occurs, we will "zoom in" to a particular area, so that our users can see what watches & warnings will affect their area. The map is updated when a new watch or warning is issued by the NWS.
How does WeatherMaster handle security issues ? There are other services on the internet, that REQUIRE you to download, and install software, and some of them have the flashy graphics. Some of these same services, also keep track of what you see, what sites you visit, and other privacy-invading issues, better known as "spyware". Some of those services also charge a fee for "ad-less" dispatches. WeatherMaster is a FREE (basic) e-mail service, does not require you to download, or install software, so there's no privacy issues with us. The ONLY ads that you see, are on the pages on our web site, and, in some instances, a small, text-only ad at the bottom of each bulletin. WeatherMaster does not invade your computer, nor your privacy. We make a pledge to you, we will NEVER sell, give, trade, barter, or otherwise release your e-mail address to anyone. In some states, this practice is illegal, so we take computer security very seriously, and we're going to keep it that way...PERIOD !
How often do your radars refresh themselves ? Radars are updated every 5-10 minutes (depending on the individual radar site). Also in the planning stages, a variety of radar images including, a 250-mile reflective image, a one-hour rainfall image, various composite images, and other images.
I have taken a "test drive" of your site, and I see reports in your system from 3 days ago. How long do these reports stay in your system ? Depending on the report, all reports are either deleted from the main system, or over-written within 5 days. some may stay as long as 14 days, but most reports left in the system are purged within 14 days, unless another report is sent by NWS. If that happens, then the "clock" starts over again. We do maintain an archival system for all reports.
I used to receive e-mail notification of severe weather in my area, but it stopped notifying me...What has happened ? Several things could have happened...Here are a few. First, one of our servers might be down. This does happen from time to time, but it usually lasts for only a few minutes, but no more than a couple of hours. When our service is restored, then you should start receiving e-mail from us. One thing to note, we NEVER perform maintenance on our servers when the potential of severe weather is great. Second, If your e-mail box has reached capacity, then messages transmitted to you, are being returned. When this happens, your e-mail address is deleted from our database, and you'll have to sign up again. However, if messages are returned again, then you will be blocked from signing up again. Third, if your "POP" server is behind a firewall, and is filtered by your network administrator, you will need to contact him/her to un-filter the messages. If this is the case, then messages transmitted to you, may be returning to us. In which case, you will be deleted from the database. If your company/ISP is using a "spam monitoring vendor/service", or something similar, messages MAY NOT be returning to us...they may be getting "filtered" by your service, and are being deleted. In which case, you need to contact your vendor/service to remedy this situation. Fourth, the e-mail address that you have sent us is incorrect, in which case it will be deleted from the database. Fifth, If your alerts are to a cell phone, and are being returned (for whatever reason), your account is automatically deleted from the database.
When I try and visit your site, your site says that "connections are not allowed from your site". What is going on ? Abuse is a "minor" problem with WeatherMaster. There are people in the "online community" who think that abusing our system is a "cool & cute" thing to do, but in fact, its a FELONY to do such an act. THIS ACTION CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY OUR SERVER, AND WILL BE PROSECUTED ! This type of activity causes us to block a series of IP addresses, and one of them could be used by you. The IP addresses that are used by such people, are reported to their ISP's, but the ISP takes NO action to curb such activity, so we have to block these addresses. This type of action on our part also affects e-mail coming to us as well. We have a ZERO tolerance on spam (and their ISP's that take part in it). Once we receive spam from an ISP (whether intentional or not), that range of IP's is "blacklisted" for a period of time that we see fit. If the ISP contacts us to resolve particular "spam issues", then we remove them from the "blacklist". So if you have problems such as what we have just described, you should contact your ISP to resolve these actions, and we can unblock these addresses.
I would like to get a copy of a previous report , that was published on the system about 2 months ago, for research. Can I get a copy of it ? If the NWS sent the report, then its possible to retrieve it from our system. Bear in mind, that over 150,000 reports are transmitted from the NWS from all over the United States every month, therefore not all reports will be available (images are not available). So please have the following ready... 1. The product name (tornado warning, etc..) 2. Which NWS office issued the product 3. Date & Time of the product (or as close as you can get within 1 day) 4. Any other pertinent information that will help us search the archives. NOTE: If the product is searched & found, a billable charge of $50.00/document will be incurred. If no document is found, there will be NO CHARGE ! How many different reports can I receive from WeatherMaster ? Reports that are currently available... AFD - Area Forecast Discussion* CEM - Civil Emergency Message* FFA - Flash Flood Advisory (Watch)** FFW - Flash Flood Warning** HWO - Hazardous Weather Outlook* FFS - Flash Flood Statement* FWF - Fire Weather Forecast* NOW - Short Term Forecasts (NOWCASTS)* PNS - Public Information Statement* SVR - Severe Thunderstorm Warning** SVS - Severe Weather Statement* TOR - Tornado Warning** WSW - Winter Storm Warning** ZFP - Zone Forecast Product* RWR - Regional Weather Roundup* SFP - State Forecast* LSR - Local Storm Report* NPW - Non-Precipitation Warning** RER - Record Event Report* RWS - Regional Weather Summary* WOU - Watch Outline Update (Tornado/Severe Thunderstorm Watches)** *= Available in e-mail (PC) format, not available in text messaging for cell phones or pagers **= Available in all formats Count 'em...Twenty-one(21) in all, and more of them to be added soon. That's more than your current service offers ! Remember, Just the VERY BEST service on the internet...Best of all,
How do I contact WeatherMaster ? The quickest way is here
All original WeatherMaster images, including the logo are under copyright 1999-2008. All other original images are under copyright, and used by permission, by their respective companies. |