Track of Current Storms

I get a lot of people who really want to know what it takes to run a weather site. I use 6 computers that run 24/7 and each one has it's own job to do. I record my information using two oregon Scientific weather stations. One is wired and the second is wireless. The images below are only a fraction of the entire system..

The main weather stathion computer. This computer also acts as the main webcam server and manages 5 different weather station programs.

My system also consists of 5 battery backups and 2 generators. One generator is a 5600 watt Craftsman and the second is a 6300 watt Craftsman. Both generators can be plugged into the house and up and running in just a few minutes. as you can see, we are ready for almost any power emergency!

This computer acts as a server to bring you the latest radar images, brings you live NOAA weather radio, and broadcasts the latest watches and warnings.

Just in case the generator does not fire up or we just need some mobile power for around 8 hours, we use a state of tyhe art gel cell with a power inverter.

These are the twin aneometers with the highest monted 25 feet above the ground. The top is the main weather station and the bottom is the backup.

This is one of two temperature sensors. Sensors are solar shielded for maximum accuracy. Both work by transmitting wireless signals back to the weather station.

This is the main rain gauge and the sensor that transmits the data back to the weather station. I also have another backup (important during hurricanes) in a different location. Both are online 24/7.

These are the weather station consoles. Both have battery backups built in and are also plugged into another backup. They can run for 2 weeks on battery power! We need that during severe weather and hurricanes.

This is one of 4 cams that we use for live broadcasting. # are made by 3-com, one of the best cams you can get.

This one of 3 Bearcat Scanners that is used for brodcasting live NOAA weather radio and live scanner radio action to the internet. A huge 8 foot antenna is used to capture the signals.

This gismo is the gadget that tells us how far away the storms are and the intensity and frequency of the lightning activity. Being very sensitive, I have picked up signals from as far away as 100 miles.

This is a Grundig Satellite 700 shortwave radio. This is an important tool during hurricanes as it allows me to get hurricane reports from the Hurricane Watch Net even if other forms of communication are down.

This is by far the oldest of the computer fleet. The system is a 133 Pentium 2 and running on windows 98. This compuer runs the backup weather station and has done so 24/7 since 1997! All parts are original and have not been replaced.