It’s hard to be successful without partners and RV Weather is no exception. From obtaining the fundamental weather data and forecasts, to working with trusted companies whose services compliment ours, to key campgrounds and RV resorts that promote weather-safe camping, here are some of our key partners
Partners:
When you combine the products and services of RV Weather and WeatherCall, you stay ‘weather-aware’ from time you plan your trip until you park your RV at home again.
WeatherCall’s premier service for the RV community, “HazardCall for RVs” is designed to provide you real-time, precise National Weather Service Warnings of severe weather, whether your are in your rig traveling down the highway, or relaxing at your campground. Click here to learn why I personally use “HazardCall for RVs.”
+ Read more…
RV Weather and WeatherCall have a very similar philosophy with regards to weather warnings and the National Weather Service (NWS): we see the NWS as our critical partner and rely on their forecasts, watches and warnings. Both companies are certified “Weather Ready Nation” Ambassadors. Both subscribe to the “Ready – Set – Go” philosophy of weather preparedness.
Here are some graphics that visually show the partnership between WeatherCall and RV Weather:
show less
Every forecast you see on RV Weather could not be done without the resources of the National Weather Service (NWS) and its sister organizations within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I rely heavily on NWS observations, computer models and watches and warnings to keep RVers safe.
+ Read more…
show less
Full disclosure!: Wolfs Camping Resort is owned and operated by my younger brother. Peter carefully watches the weather and uses web-based lighting detection systems to ensure the safety of his campers, especially at the swimming pool or on the golf course.
+ Read more…
It’s a great campground, right off Exit 53 on I-80 in western Pennsylvania, whether you just need a safe place to rest overnight, or want to spend a week relaxing in the country. 9-hole golf course, lake for fishing, huge heated swimming pool, great snack bar are just some of the amenities. Wolfs is kid-friendly, pet-friendly, family-friendly, first-responder friendly, and veteran-friendly. Check them out either on their website or on social media!
And I have to mention, Peter didn’t just walk in one day and buy the place. He did it the hard way, working his way up from maintenance guy to supervisor, to campground manager, and ultimately to owner and CEO of Wolfs. He knows every aspect of the business and every inch of his campground!
show less
Products I use and recommend:
HazardCall for RVs
[Blog-post] Why do I personally use HazardCall for RV’s?
Like you, I have a number of weather apps loaded onto my phone, choosing from the thousands that are available. The ones I use are the well-established, brand names, that provide credible forecasts, if you can wade through the advertising! For everyday use, they are fine. It turns out that forecasts coming from weather apps are basically a commodity — over time, they are all very similar. I base this conclusion on a two-year study I just completed comparing seven different forecast sources.
The issue we’re seen with the weather forecast apps on your phone is not the forecast quality, but what happens with your phone when you are on the road.
+ Read more…
A more subtle (and even more dangerous) issue is some of these apps get ’stuck’ (technical term!) with a location, while you’re still on the road. On my cross-country trips, I have had weather apps warn me about severe thunderstorm in Illinois — when I was in Wyoming. Conversely, earlier this winter I had warnings for a snowstorm in Grand Teton, while I was back home in Pennsylvania. Once you open the app it usually resets itself to the correct location. While it can be amusing to watch your phone get excited about severe weather 1000 miles away from you — it also means that, unbeknownst to you,that app was not tracking hazardous weather at your actual location.
Best practice is to have multiple, independent ways to receive severe weather warnings. Have at least two ways — three ways are better. I still use the old-fashioned NOAA Weather Radio with a receiver that automatically locks on to the strongest signal. RV Weather automatically posts all severe weather watches and warnings (Tornado, Severe thunderstorm, Flash Flood) https://rvweather.com/warnings-watches-and-advisories/, but these are not pushed to any individual. Local TV and Radio can be very useful but you probably will need to know some of the local geography they often reference. You can of course also reference the National Whether Service website (weather.gov) and click on your location to see if there are any watches and warnings – but again, they are not pushed to you.
The best mobile weather warning system I have found to date, and the one I personally use, is “HazardCall for RVs“. The parent company, WeatherCall Services LLC, has been in business for quite a while pushing the National Weather Service Warnings to their customer. Always by text and email and for significant warnings (bad floods and thunderstorms, tornadoes), by a phone call as well. They employ former broadcast meteorologists to ensure their messages are in plain English. Recently they have extended this system to work with a GPS tracker (sold separately). The tracker, about the size of a deck of cards, is mounted in a cabinet in my Airstream. It’s constantly communicating my real-time position to the WeatherCall servers, so I always get the NWS warnings for my exact location, on the road, at a campground, off the grid (although I do need some type of cell or wifi signal to get the warning) or at home.
As a bonus, HazardCall for RV’s doubles as my theft alert system. If the trailer moves I get alerts every 30 minutes with its real-time location. The GPS tracker is completely passive so unlike Air-Tags, the thief will not know how he (or she) is being tracked. You have accurate location and direction of movement information to pass to the appropriate Law Enforcement agency.
What does professional grade protection from severe weather cost? About $145 for the one-time cost of the GPS tracker and $100/year for the weather warning service itself.
Here’s the link if you would like to know more: https://weathercallservices.com/hazardcall-for-rvs. You can contact Ms. Megan McClellan at Megan@weathercall.net. Tell her Dave Titley from RV Weather sent you!
I do have a partnership with WeatherCall Services, but currently no financial relationship or incentive to sell these devices (maybe that will change if enough RV Weather users buy one!). HazardCall for RV’s is a great concept that works; it is my primary method of getting severe weather alerts when I’m using my Airstream.
show less