Blizzard Boosts WeatherBug(R) Traffic Skyward

Blizzard Boosts WeatherBug(R) Traffic Skyward

Leading desktop weather service records 90 million page views as millions turn to WeatherBug for storm alerts and up to the minute information

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- WeatherBug, the leading provider of weather information services, today announced that it recorded double the average amount of traffic during the blizzard that pummeled the Northeast US this weekend. The popular desktop weather service generated 90 million page views throughout its coverage of the storm.

WeatherBug owns and operates the world's largest proprietary weather network with 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and more than 1,000 cameras strategically placed at schools and public safety facilities throughout the nation. WeatherBug data is used by over 80 million consumers daily, both online and on-air, to help plan the day ahead, protect communities and educate our children.

During the blizzard, WeatherBug:

* Issued 1,434 audible severe weather alerts or "chirps" to millions of
users in the path of this massive storm,
* Received more than 1,100 user-submitted images depicting the local
impact of the blizzard and the community of users taking part in
participatory journalism via WeatherBug -- a 300% increase over a
normal weekend,
* Provided continuous streaming data, alerts and images from its 3,036
weather stations in the storms path to its 36 affected broadcast
partners. Just a few among these stations include: WNBC (New York),
WMAQ (Chicago), WPXI (Pittsburgh), and WISH (Indianapolis), and
* Armed 29 emergency operations centers with live data to:
-- help make life saving decisions in precisely assessing the
impact of current weather conditions on hazardous situations
-- help determine which municipalities to evacuate
-- select approach routes for first-responders
-- choose the type of equipment to dispatch



"In typical fashion our team of meteorologists tackled this year's biggest storm to date with around-the-clock live weather reports and information. More importantly, we also gave our readers a role in the reporting process by letting them participate as citizen meteorologists," said Bob Marshall, President, CEO and Co-Founder of WeatherBug. "Winter weather can be sudden and severe, so we strive to offer our customers the best, local information to help them prepare and withstand these storms."

WeatherBug, available at http://www.weatherbug.com/, had more than 19 million unique visitors in December 2004 and is ranked as a top 10 Internet property in daily reach, according to comScore Media Metrix*, making it the leader in online weather.

About WeatherBug(R)

WeatherBug (http://www.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 property and save lives. WeatherBug owns the world's largest exclusive weather network, which has 8,000 live WeatherBug Tracking Stations and more than 1,000 cameras that generate neighborhood level reports every second (other weather data is up to an hour or more old). This network powers various products and services, including: WeatherBug, the number one weather Internet application, with over 57 million downloads, that streams live neighborhood conditions to 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. (http://aws.com/).

* comScore Media Metrix Daily Unique Visitor custom report.


Source: WeatherBug

CONTACT: Meredith Topalanchik, +1-212-455-8018,
mtopalanchik@cooperkatz.com, or Lesley Weiner, +1-212-455-8079,
lweiner@cooperkatz.com, or Steve Rubel, +1-212-455-8085,
srubel@cooperkatz.com, all of CooperKatz & Company, for WeatherBug

Web site: http://www.weatherbug.com/
http://aws.com/


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