Tech Talk: Winter Weather | Video

Jerame Novak | 11/14/2012

Road conditions and visibility can deteriorate quickly when a winter storm hits. However, there are tools available that can help you keep track of the weather and prepare before you go out, or let you know if you should just stay put.

Last weekend`s winter storm kept some people off the road and indoors. But one place that saw an increase in traffic was the web. One popular website was the
href="http://www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info-v2/">.North Dakota Department of Transportation`s Travel Information Map which had 400,000 hits during the height of the storm.

The map, which is updated throughout the day, shows road conditions across the state. Other features, like radar and traffic cameras, are there to help keep people informed.

"For people to just see what the weather is going to be like, and so, we kinda push the `Know Before you Go.` And that way people can really see what the road conditions are," said NDDOT Information Technology Director Russ Buchholz.

You can also get road conditions by dialing 5-1-1.

The Winter Survival App from the NDSU Extension Service has information to help you prepare for the worst.

"It`s the kind of thing that you want to download so that if you ever find yourself in that situation, stranded in a ditch during a winter storm, stranded in your car. You have it as something that can guide you and provide you with piece of mind," said NDSU Ag Communication Web Technology Specialist Bob Bertsch.

Some people joke that if you don`t like the weather in North Dakota, just wait five minutes. That`s how fast the conditions can change. So that means it can be helpful to be able to keep track of the weather when you`re on the go.

"The First Warn mobile app is like having your own First Warn Weather Center right at your fingertips. Radar, satellite, wind speed, everything you need. Weather alerts. It`s all right there, on your phone. Easy to access. Look for it, it`s called the First Warn Weather App, you won`t be disappointed," said KFYR-TV Chief Meteorologist Kevin Lawrence.

If you don`t have a smartphone, you can also visit the weather section of our website for information.

And don`t forget, you can also watch our newscasts live and on demand on your phone or tablet in high definition with the Syncbak app.

Links:

Click here for our weather page.

The NDDOT Travel Information map can be found at www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info-v2/.

For more information on the Winter Survival App, visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension.

Click here to learn more about Syncbak.

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