Gaithersburg, MD (December 5, 2002) - The largest snowstorm on the Eastern Seaboard in nearly two years has caused a dramatic increase in WeatherBug downloads and registrations. More than 81,000 people downloaded WeatherBug from www.weatherbug.com during the past 24 hours, according to AWS Convergence Technologies, the company that owns and operates the product.

WeatherBug is the number one source for weather information on the Web, according to comScore Media Metrix, an Internet audience measurement firm. The free desktop weather software application streams live neighborhood weather conditions, severe weather warnings, emergency alerts, forecasts and more directly to more than 16 million PC users' desktops. It is powered by AWS' nationwide network of 6,000 weather stations, which are based mostly at schools.

"Today we saw double the number of downloads than what we see on a typical day. We have never before seen such a sharp increase in registrations immediately prior to a major weather event. The spike is a milestone. It shows that when people need vital information about severe weather coming their way, more and more they turn to WeatherBug first," said Andy Jedynak, WeatherBug's SVP/General Manager.

WeatherBug is highly unique when compared to any other source of online weather information. It provides users with extremely accurate, live conditions that come directly from an AWS weather reporting station that is in many cases in their neighborhood. This highly localized weather information is not available from any other weather source. WeatherBug is promoted nationwide by local NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox television stations who partner with AWS to provide this service.

WeatherBug features an easy to use digital dashboard that provides five-day forecasts, live camera images with a time-lapse feature, and local Doppler radar. It also provides visual/audible alerts when there are National Weather Service weather bulletins and other local civil emergencies. The WeatherBug application is always live, and sits resident as a temperature icon on the Windows taskbar. A premium version of the product, WeatherBug Pro, is available for purchase at weatherbug.com for $19.95 per year.

About AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.

AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (aws.com) owns and operates the largest network of weather stations in the world. This real-time network gathers comprehensive, up-to-the-second weather information from more than 6,000 communities and powers the company's various products and services, including: WeatherBug™, an online weather service that provides live neighborhood conditions to more than 16 million registered PC users; WeatherNet for Broadcast, which delivers real-time weather information to more than 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with 100 local television stations; WeatherNet for Education, which provides engaging weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an innovative set of online lesson plans and software called WeatherNet Classroom; and AWS Data Services which uses AWS' unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, retail, and transportation.