2. Not sure what it is you are seeking or just want to take a look at all our cities? Take your time and scroll on down.
Here is an explanation of each category and why it might be important to know before you step out:
1) Current Conditions: Gives you important information like temperature, winds, and dewpoint for your location. The temperature lets you know how to dress yourself and your dog for warmth, and the dewpoint is a good indication of how comfortable it is. Once the dewpoint gets above 60, it begins to feel humid. Above 65 feels quite humid, and above 70 is oppressive. The higher the dewpoint, the more you and your canine friend are likely to sweat, and the more water you might want to bring with you. Current conditions are usually updated every hour.
2) Real Time Weather: This category contains some of the same information as Current Conditions, but it updates in "real time". Which basically means that it's showing you the current conditions up to the second. Check out the wind direction and speed,and watch as it changes right before your eyes! A useful reading here is the "Feels Like" temperature. This tells you what it actually feels like outside. It may be 53 degrees outside, but with a stiff northerly wind it might "feel like" 44 degrees. Dress accordingly!
3) Severe Weather: This lets you know about any hazardous weather in your area including high wind warnings, severe thunderstorm watches & warnings, tornado watches & warnings, flash flood warnings, and winter weather advisories. Any of these watches or warnings might lead you to reschedule your walk. The watches and warnings are presented in map form by state. If you click on your county, you can get specific information for your area.
4) Air Quality: Gives six different "air quality" (basically the amount of pollution in the air) ratings from "good" to "hazardous". Folks with heart and lung diseases, and older individuals or those who have dogs with these conditions should take careful note of this category. It lets you know if you should limit your exertion (i.e. your walking time and/or pace). The higher ratings can affect even healthy individuals and dogs. Use the Air Quality category to decide whether to limit the scope of your walk, or just to pick another day for a walk. The site also gives air quality predictions for the next day. Where there are no air quality readings for a particular city, several sites
in the state are shown.
5) UV Index: The UV Index is a forecast of the amount of skin damaging UV radiation expected to reach the earth's surface at the time when the sun is highest in the sky (solar noon). The UV Index can range from 0 (when it is night time) to 15 or 16 (in the tropics at high elevations under clear skies). UV radiation is greatest when the sun is highest in the sky and rapidly decreases as the sun approaches the horizon. The higher the UV Index, the greater the dose rate of skin damaging (and eye damaging) UV radiation. Consequently, the higher the UV Index, the smaller the time it takes before skin damage occurs. On a day with a high UV index be sure to bring a hat, sunglasses, and apply sunscreen to any exposed skin. Remember that your dog can suffer from prolonged exposure to UV radiation also. On a day with a higher UV index you might just want to pick a shady path for your walk, or go first thing in the morning, or in the evening.
6) Pollen: Gives a numerical rating between 0 and 12 as well as a general low/medium/high rating for the amount of pollen in the air. This, of course, particularly effects individuals and dogs with allergies. On days with high pollen readings you might want to make sure you've taken any allergy medication you have before you go, or if your dog has allergies, you might want to shorten the time of the walk, or in severe situations, reschedual it for another day. This is made easy since the site gives you a pollen forecast for the next four days.
7) Mosquito Activity: The Mosquito Activity Forecast predicts how active mosquitoes in your area will be. There are five levels of mosquito activity ranging from "none" to "very high". Besides making a walk very unpleasent, mosquitos can carry several serious diseases, that can effect both you and your dog. Mosquito activity can vary from one location to another. Also, Mosquito concentrations seem to lower where there are more buildings around, and increase where there are more woods and swamps. You might want to try several differnet locations/paths for your walks to see which provide the most cover from mosquito activity. Remember that although there are some mosquitos that will bite during the daylight hours, the most activity is usually around dawn and dusk.
8) Outdoor Activity Index: We renamed this index purely for our dog walking purposes. It is actually called the "Events Forecast" or "Spectator Index" and it provides one overall forecast for how comfortable conditions will be "while attending your favorite outdoor pastimes, or on your way to indoor venues". We think that dog walking falls somewhere in that definition. The scale for the Outdoor Activity Index is: Excellent (10), Very Good (9, 8), Good (7, 6), Fair (5, 4), Poor (3,2), Very Poor (1). The best index values result from shirt-sleeve temperatures, minimal chances of precipitation, low humidity, light winds, and fair skies. Conversely, cold and stormy conditions will result in the lowest Outdoor Activity Index values, when a bit of extra gear for you and your canine friend may be required to maximize comfort level on your walks.
9) Dog Comfort Index: Using a 0-5 scale, the Dog Comfort Index estimates how comfortable your dog will be outdoors in forecasted weather conditions. The scale works as follows: 4-5 paws: Most Comfortable; 2-3 paws: Moderately Comfortable; 0-1 paws: Uncomfortable. You may want to check this index before your walk, and limit the time and or length in uncomfortable conditions. On the other hand, you might want to take a longer, more brisk walk on days when your dog might be more comfortable. Of course, you must take the type of dog you have into consideration. Many factors impact your dog's comfort level in various weather conditions, including its hair length, age, weight, and size. For example, dogs with double coats (e.g. Huskies and Malamutes) are more likely to experience heatstroke because they retain more heat than dogs with single coats, like Poodles and Terriers. Small, young, short-haired dogs (e.g. Chihuahuas) are less tolerant of cold conditions than large, bulky dogs or dogs with thick coats like Newfoundlands or Great Pyrs.
10) Hour By Hour: Gives you the forecast in a condensed version for the next 8 hours. Too hot for a walk at 3:00 in the afternoon? You can check to see the temperature and weather conditions as forecast for 7:00 that evening to see if it will be cool enough for a walk then!
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