Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) May 21, 2008
After two years of relatively mild U.S. storm seasons, The Weather Channel (TWC) will mark the official start of the 2008 hurricane season with two days of live HD programming. For the first time ever, The Weather Channel will be live in HD, reporting from the coast for the start of hurricane season. TWC efforts kick off June 1 and 2 with programming to emphasize hurricane awareness, education, and most importantly, readiness.
Storm Tracker Jim Cantore will be live on the Florida coast on both June 1 and 2. Coverage on June 2 will be the first ever live HD shots for the all-weather network. Not only will the in-studio crew be live in high definition, but viewers will see Cantore in the field with the TWC HD-equipped satellite truck.
Live shots from Miami Beach will air June 1 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m., and live shots in HD will air throughout the day June 2 (from 7-10 a.m. ET during Your Weather Today, at 7 p.m. ET on Abrams & Bettes, and from 9-11 p.m. ET on Evening Edition).
Additional TWC programming will include the following topics:
A look at if people have let their guard down or become complacent since the active 2005 season
A discussion of how much emphasis should be given to seasonal forecasts predicting an active season
Areas that are building stronger, smarter and safer
A wind demonstration to help homeowners better fortify against wind and water
Interviews and analysis with Dr. Steve Lyons, TWC Hurricane Expert; Florida Governor Charlie Crist; Bill Read, director of the National Hurricane Center; Bill Gray and Phil Klotzbach, seasonal hurricane forecasters; and building and construction experts
Online Resources Available on weather.com
In addition to on-air reporting, a variety of tools are available to stay up to date on the latest in storm tracking, personal preparedness and readiness for the coming hurricane season.
Weather Alerts
Sign up for severe weather alerts at weather.com/alerts to receive customized e-mail and mobile notifications whenever severe weather is headed to your location.
Hurricane Central
A must-bookmark site for information as storm systems develop and a source for storm predictions, hurricane names, videos, photos, tracking maps and more.
Weather Ready
Protect your health and your home with expert tips, video, and printable checklists available at http://www.weather.com/ready. Topics include sever weather pre, health, home preparation, pet safety and more.
Weather Video
Hurricane videos can be viewed on the severe weather channel in BlueBox, the video player on weather.com. In addition, weather.com features collections of our most popular hurricane related videos on its Top Weather Video page, which will be updated throughout the season.
Weather Channel Experts Available Now and Throughout the Season
Media covering the upcoming hurricane season can tap in to expert resources from The Weather Channel offering insight and analysis for the season as well as storm systems as they develop.
These include:
Dr. Steve Lyons, Tropical Weather Expert
Jim Cantore, Storm Tracker
Mike Bettes: On-Camera Meteorologist and Co-Host of “Abrams & Bettes – Beyond The Forecast”
Stephanie Abrams: On-Camera Meteorologist and Co-Host of “Abrams & Bettes – Beyond The Forecast”
Dr. Heidi Cullen, Climate Expert
To schedule an interview with a TWC expert, please contact Melissa Medori at mmedori@weather.com or Dana Mark at dmark@trevelinokeller.com.
About The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel, a 24-hour weather network, is seen in more than 96 million U.S. households. The Weather Channel reaches more than 38 million unique users online each month and is the most popular source of online weather, news and information according to Nielsen//Net Ratings. The Weather Channel also operates Weatherscan, a 24-hour, all-local weather network available in 22 million households, The Weather Channel Radio Network, The Weather Channel Newspaper Services, and is the leading weather information provider for emerging technologies. This includes broadband and interactive television applications and wireless weather products including the most popular content site on the mobile Web. The Weather Channel is owned by Landmark Communications, Inc., a Norfolk, VA-based, privately held media company.
For more information on The Weather Channel Companies, including press releases, images, executive information and backgrounders please visit http://www.weather.com/press.
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