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The Loop

Weather and golf: Know where the lightning is

May 16, 2011

Weather Central has been in business 36 years, operating entirely behind the scenes by providing its weather expertise to broadcast media. Now Weather Central is making its expertise available via a new website, MyWeather.com, and two apps, My Weather and PinPoint Lightning 2011, that can be personalized and useful for golfers.

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"What's really cool for golfers is that alerts are built right into it, within a one-kilometer radius, essentially the size of a golf course," Kyle Giunta, MyWeather.com public relations spokesman, said. "Severe weather alerts or lightning alerts pop right up."

Thunderstorms, of course, are incompatible with golf. PinPoint Lightning 2011 provides the time and distance of lightning strikes from your location. Alerts can be set to notify you of strikes within 15, 20 or 30 miles of your location, determined via the GPS on your mobile device. It also will provide a lightning loop, animating each lightning strike on a map with the time of the strike, enabling the user to follow the direction in which the strikes are going.

The My Weather app provides hourly forecasts for temperature, precipitation and wind for your current location, while MyWeather.com is a full suite website.

The My Weather app is free, while the PinPoint Lightning 2011 app is $5.99. They are available for both the iPhone and Android devices.

-- John Strege