Severe Weather continues into the Southeast part of the nation this weekend:

A High Risk means that widespread severe weather is expected, including:

• Strong or Violent Tornadoes (F2 or greater)
• Extremely Large Hail
• Widespread Wind Damage (80+ MPH)

A Moderate Risk means that widespread severe weather is expected, including:

• Numerous Tornadoes
• Very Large Hail (greater than 3/4-inch)
• Severe Wind Damage

A Slight Risk means the threat exists for scattered severe weather, including:

• Isolated Tornadoes
• Large Hail (up to 3/4-inch)
• Damaging Winds (58mph or greater)

If you reside in the areas affected by these outlooks, be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.

A powerful weather system is moving through the Central and Southern Plains this week spawning severe weather throughout the Midwest and Southern states:

A Slight Risk means the threat exists for scattered severe weather, including:

• Isolated Tornadoes
• Large Hail (up to 3/4-inch)
• Damaging Winds (58mph or greater)

A Moderate Risk means that widespread severe weather is expected, including:

• Numerous Tornadoes
• Very Large Hail (greater than 3/4-inch)
• Severe Wind Damage

If you reside in the areas affected by these outlooks, be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.

"Storm preparation is a major concern for us here at the marina. Keeping employees and local boaters aware of pending storms is a critical concern.

"We use Weather Defender as an additional resource to provide as close as real time weather data to our guests.  I am still learning how to fine tune the data and am confident it will be a big hit with our customers.  We actually have a flat panel display set up in our office where both our employees and customers can observe weather current data."

Tom Raiola
Brewer Bruce & Johnson’s Marina
Branford, Connecticut

"As a public servant in Morrison County I'm concerned that we provide our residents with the best information possible to enable them to adequately prepare in a timely fashion for what might be coming - whether it is flood, winter storms, severe thunder/lightning storms, tornados or whatever.  Our Public Safety and Public Works personnel need to be able to respond rapidly and strategically to changing conditions as well, and weather related events can play a big part in their ability to do so.

"One of our recent areas of focus is bringing the weather down to street and parcel level.  This gives us the ability to identify specific locations where there might be high concentrations of people in the path of a system, giving law enforcement and other agencies the ability to provide a more advanced notice than might otherwise be given - possibly saving lives.  Being able to add our own layers of data as an overlay to Weather Defender could potentially help us in this regard."

Mike Disher
Director of Technology Services
Morrison County, Minnesota

"For a number of years, we would rely on the free internet weather sites for radar, local news channels for “real time” data, and lightning detectors for on-site alerts. Many of the websites, however, don’t update the radar data frequently. None of the sites gave us any predictive capabilities for where storms were headed.

"We started using [Weather Defender] a couple of years ago, and I was impressed with the frequency of radar updates and the ability for the software to predict where storms would move. With Weather Defender,  we now have a powerful weather tool for our business. The GIS capabilities allow us to fully customize the software for our location.

"We use Weather Defender as our “eye on the sky.” Our outdoor-based employees are trained to be “weather alert,” but Weather Defender's Alert Perimeters help us keep a closer watch on potential storms. Combined with the software's storm track capabilities, we can now be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to the weather. And the new Alert sounds, in particular the “thunder clap” and “tornado siren,” scares the daylights out of our office staff when a storm gets too close!"

Brian Vauter
Natural Bridge Caverns, Inc.
Cavern Geologist/Operations Manager

"I finally downloaded Weather Defender for the first time, and it didn't take more than 30 minutes to decide to sign up for a subscription. I've used most of the weather programs and sites out there and this one is the best. I'm really enjoying it. I would recommend it to anyone."
 
Verna Young
Monterey, California

"Dangerously cold wind chills were anticipated in the Midwest overnight, including as low as 35 below in eastern Nebraska, minus 45 in parts of South Dakota and negative 50 in North Dakota, according to National Weather Service warnings." (AP)

Jan 7, 2010: Artic air pushes south from Canada triggering
Wind Chill and Freeze Warnings across the U.S.

Jan 7, 2010: The Upper Midwest is experiencing the brunt of the cold,
with with extreme winds and blowing snow

Don't take any chances today or friday--its going to be fatally cold. At least 7 people have died so far this season, including 4 in Chicago. If you can delay or avoid travel plans through the Midwest, you should do so.

If you must go out in this weather, take it seriously. Have the following in your car:

• Cell phone with charger
• Shovel & scrapers
• Flashlight
• Extra Hats, coats, mittens, blankets
• Battery powered radio
• Snack food and water
• Road salt or sand
• First aid kit

Stay safe, and keep an eye out for those who may need your help.

Best Regards,

Rory Groves
Founder & CEO
SWIFT Weather

"Our clients depend on us to provide high quality forecasting and advanced notification of severe weather. We use the Alert Perimeters feature in Weather Defender to help keep our forecasters attuned to weather hazards which may affect our clients."

Todd Frostad
President/COO
WeatherNation LLC
Excelsior, Minnesota

Cody writes to tell us how Weather Defender is being used at SLEMCO, an energy utility in Louisiana that serves over 90,000 residents:

"Weather Defender has been of a great assistance to our dispatch staff by making our company aware of pending weather threats to our electrical grid.

Cody Hulin
Southwest Louisiana Electric
Membership Corporation (SLEMCO)"

Weather Defender is shown here running on a large-screen plasma display in SLEMCO's
"Mission Control" room.

"I’m on my 4th weather-related business in the Twin Cities, and over the years I’ve become dependent on smart developers and a handful of creative, innovative hardware and software vendors that keep us on the leading edge of meteorology. One of our clients is a wind farm in North Dakota, where the weather can change in the blink of an eye and the threat of severe weather is ever-present. My latest company, WeatherNation, has come to rely on Weather Defender to keep our clients up-to-the-second, and ahead of the storm. Any tool that increases the safety factor for weather-sensitive companies is going to be well-received in the marketplace. There’s nothing like Weather Defender; we’ve been very pleased with the service. It has some very powerful functionality and can be adapted for any business that puts employee safety first.”

Paul Douglas
Founder & CEO
WeatherNation LLC
Excelsior, Minnesota