7/2/2013 - By Chris Simon

There are not many things that affect our lives like the weather does. It affects every aspect of your life directly or indirectly. From something as small as what you are going to wear each day to something as large how the Midwest drought will affect grain prices and everything else that revolves around the production of grains. I don’t think there is a more ‘in-tune with the weather’ group of professionals than Golf Course Superintendents. You check it to make sure that fertilizer app is going to be watered in or to see if that contact fungicide will have time to dry on the leaf. It determines your mowing schedule, your cultural practices, and labor forecasting. With so much riding on the weather it is imperative to get the best possible information so that you are able to make the best possible decision.

Below are a few websites that I feel are very good with lots of information relative to your locale. These sites are very easy to navigate and most helpful.

• www.wxsouth.com - Very good website. Requires a subscription. Good forecasts for the SE.
• www.alabamawx.com - This could be my favorite. I grew up watching this guy in God’s country, Alabama. He just received a very high Honor from NOAA. His Weather Xtreme videos are done twice a day during the week and once a day on the weekend. He looks at lots of different maps and explains them in simple Alabama terms that even I can understand. He does a good job of looking at the SE not just his viewing market.
• http://www.spc.noaa.gov/ -Storm Prediction Center website is good for looking at radars, forecasts, convective outlooks, watches and warnings.
• http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ - Hydrometeorlogical Prediction Center website is great for checking the estimated rainfall amounts five days or less out. Check out the QPF.
• http://www.grlevelx.com/ - Great radars. Requires a subscription but is well worth the $85. Wind velocity, rainfall totals, storm heights. Cool stuff.
• http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ - This last website has more information than we will ever need. Precip records, national averages… Good info for feeding those know-it-all board members when you just need to get looking the other direction.