Mobile weather reporting arrives

Weather has long been the strong suit of many local TV newsrooms, offering viewers warnings as severe conditions bear down.

In fact, weather is so important to local broadcasters that it was one of the first places broadcasters looked when considering how to program their multicasting channels. NBC’s WeatherPlus and competitors filled the void, providing an avenue to extended weather coverage.

However, technological advancement and weather don’t end at the picture tube.

A variety of new approaches to the distribution of weather information have emerged. For consumers on the go, WeatherBug and Handago, a provider of mobile content, have rolled out WeatherBug Mobile services for BlackBerry wireless users.

The new service offers live, neighborhood level weather conditions, satellite and radar views and live camera views from the WeatherBug Network plus forecast updates and severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NOAA).

Blackberry users can access live, streaming weather conditions, including temperature and wind direction, from 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations across the United States, as well as live camera images from more than 1,000 WeatherBug cameras and radar and satellite images.

For more information, visit www.weatherbug.com.