Hi everybody. With the summer storm season upon us, bad weather can wreck havoc on your day or night in an instant. It is more important then ever to know when storms are approaching your region. To complicate things even more, we are usually indoors working on our computers with no idea what is going on outside. Fortunately, there are easy ways to stay informed while you work. In this column, I will discuss a few of the best programs to use for keeping tabs on the weather and basic instructions on how to use them.
The first program I am going to talk about is called Weather Exchange. The product is put out be Ambient Weather, which is a major Distributor of weather products and related computer software. It is probably not one you are familiar with but it is one of the best. Weather Exchange is a small program that installs easily on any operating system from Windows XP through Windows 8. You can download the program here. http://www.ambientweather.com/weex1.html. Once you navigate to the main download page, go to the link that says “Weather Exchange Free Download”. Download the software to your computer. You can install the program just as you do any other by clicking on the .exe file you just downloaded. Follow the setup wizard and you will soon be a weather-wise surfer (of the Internet of course!).
The big difference with this software and most of the other desktop applications is that is uses less resources on you computer so it wont slow you down while you are working. This application is actually a network of online weather stations in your community who voluntarily up load all their information so you, the user, can easily view it. Once the application is launched, you will need to add your location so you can get information on your neighborhood. On the right side of the program window at the bottom you will see a link that says “Find Location”. This is where we are going to start. Simply click that link and add your zip code or city in the box and click OK. You should then be directed to a weather station that is close to your neighborhood. If you look in the upper left hand side of the program, you will see a drop down box (located just under your city’s name). Click the arrow and you will be presented with a large list of weather stations located in your area. You can choose from any that are in the list. If you want to keep the chosen location as your default, click the Add To Favorites Button” You now have your desktop weather program set us and ready to go. The system will automatically refresh and check for local warnings or advisories. If any are received, they will show up in the warning box on the top part of the software.
There is even more, if you go to the “Window” option in the top toolbar, you will see other options you can view like local radar and weather advisories. You can even customize your alarm settings.
This is one of the best desktop weather programs I have tested and I do recommend it. So the next time you leave the office after a hard day at the computer, you will not be surprised if your home commute is a wet one. By the way you did remember to bring the umbrella from the car to your office, right?
If you want to track the weather right at your home, why not buy yourself a home weather station! There are not as expensive as you might think. There are several brands to choose from but a couple of the most popular include Oregon Scientific and Davis. Both offer a reliable station with Oregon Scientific being a little less expensive then Davis.
Oregon Scientific offers several options for the home user including a station that records the UV index! They are easy to set up and fun to use. Most of the new weather stations have a single sensor suite that includes all the sensors in one place. In older systems. each sensor had to be placed and mounted separately. With the new suites, you can place everything on one pole. It makes installation all that much easier!
Monitoring the station can be done totally independent of the computer. If you wish, you can purchase Virtual Weather Station from http://www.ambientweather.com and track all of your information on your PC. If you buy the weather station from them, you will often get a basic copy for free.
If you own a website, you can automatically configure the software to upload information directly to your site so your visitors can see what is going on in your neighborhood. You will need to purchase the Internet Edition in order to be able to do this. In addition, you can also get a free subscription with Weather Underground and upload your local weather stats directly to their website for all to see. When you upload information to weather underground, you receive free no ad access to their website.
Have fun with your new rewarding and educational hobby! It will reward you for years to come.
Author: Joe Zelenak, Staff Writer
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