Storm season arrives in the Atlantic and Pacific, here is where to get updates
As I write this, what is left of Tropical Storm Andrea makes its way through my area, here on the east coast of the United States. Tropical storm season, for both the Atlantic and Pacific basins kicked off June1 and will be with us through December 1.
As storm go, Andrea is not so bad -- I watch heavy rain out the window and humidity levels hover at 100 percent. However, not all of these storms are so kind, as we witnessed last year with Sandy or several years ago when New Orleans was hit hard by Katrina.
With that in mind, this is the time of year to point out a few basics about how to get the latest updates online. A way of knowing what is headed your way. There is no shortage of weather apps for phones, tablets and Windows 8. However, I recommend a couple of good websites that you can simply browse to from anywhere and get the latest details about what to expect.
The Weather Channel Tropical Storm Center
The Weather Channel is my go-to choice for pretty much all weather information. The service has you covered at pretty much any location, but when severe weather strikes, the service really excels. Up-to-date information, maps and projected storm paths are all features of the service.
Update: It is no longer available. You may check out the Severe Alerts page on the site for related information.
Run by the NOAA branch of the U.S. government (National oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) the organization does a bit more than the annual Santa tracking that it is famous for.
Tropical storms get precise information with the latest advisories,, location and stats on information such as wind speed, barometric pressure and much more.
Conclusion
As I stated previously, there is no shortage of sources for weather information and alerts. However, these are the two best in my humble opinion. They are, however, rather linked to location, so those in the western Pacific region may wish to chime in with solutions for those areas.
Another site:
http://earthalerts.manyjourneys.com/web/
Is great for alerts for world-wide events. Wider than the Weather Channel in what is coming up (like today click the red L and you see the predicted path and a satellite image. The Weather Channel doesn’t have this one on their “radar” but fair enough as it is out aways. The Earth Alerts site is useless for more detailed info if you are in one of the areas affected.