Gaithersburg, MD -- April 27, 2004 - WeatherBug today announced that it has selected David J. Thon, a fifth grade science educator from William Appleby Elementary in Marathon, NY, to join a team of its meteorologists on a five-day-long tornado chase called WeatherBug Storm Chase 2004. The team will set out in search of storms beginning Monday, May 3 in Oklahoma City.

Thon will play a key role in gathering/analyzing data and readings and in learning more about how and why tornadoes take place. He will write a Weblog - or 'blog' - about the experience daily and also answer questions from students and colleagues via email. The Storm Chase blog can be found at www.weatherbug.com/stormchase.

WeatherBug (www.weatherbug.com) owns the world's largest weather network, which is comprised of 7,000 live sensors that generate data every second. This live network powers both WeatherBug, the number one weather Internet application, which has more than 32 million registered users, and WeatherBug Achieve (www.weatherbugachieve.com), an engaging "real-world" online learning program for K-12 schools.

Students will be able to track the storm chase and follow the teacher's 'blog' through both WeatherBug and WeatherBug Achieve. In addition to viewing special lessons about severe weather activity and safety, students will also have the opportunity to participate in a daily "vote" on where they feel Storm Chase team will go next, based on live weather conditions and forecasts in the region gathered by the WeatherBug network.

Thon is an award-winning educator who was responsible for incorporating the WeatherBug Achieve program into the Appleby Elementary's curriculum nearly two years ago. He was selected for the WeatherBug Storm Chase after a nationwide search for his enthusiasm and innovative use of live weather data in classroom lessons.

The WeatherBug Storm Chase team, including Chief Meteorologist Mark Hoekzema and Meteorologist/Storm Chase Specialist Mark Lee, will set off to chase storms beginning in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 3 and will continue through Friday, May 7 -- the height of the tornado season. The group will seek out severe weather using a specialized vehicle called the WeatherBug Storm Chaser. The Dodge Durango is packed with a state-of-the-art wireless satellite tracking system to track storm cells, and special wirelessly-enabled weather monitoring equipment that can stream live conditions and camera images to the Internet.

"At WeatherBug we believe in giving our audience an active role in participating in the editorial process. They play a key role in shaping how we deliver valuable weather information. We also try to help our users, television viewers and educators fully understand and prepare for severe weather," said Andy Jedynak, Senior Vice President, General Manager. "The 2004 Storm Chase brings this all together by giving our special educator, David, the ability to get up close and chase tornados so he can share with all of our audiences what it's like first-hand to experience nature's fury. It should be an exciting week."

Storm Chase 2004 builds on WeatherBug's strong live severe weather event coverage for consumers, students, teachers and television viewers. It will generate content that will be used across several WeatherBug properties, including: the WeatherBug consumer Internet application; WeatherBug Achieve, a K-12 online application used in 7,000 schools; and on air through WeatherBug's 100 local broadcast partners, which include stations in tornado ally like: KFSM (Fort Smith, AR), KXAS (Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX), KJRH (Tulsa, OK), KSNW (Wichita, KS) and many others.

About WeatherBugŪ
WeatherBug (weatherbug.com) ensures that individuals, businesses and communities always get the most precise live conditions, the most relevant reports, and the earliest weather warnings possible to safeguard their property and their lives. WeatherBug owns the world's largest weather network, which has 7,000 live sensors that generate data every second. This network powers various products and services, including: WeatherBugŪ, the number one weather Internet application, which streams live neighborhood conditions to more than 32 million registered users; WeatherBugŪ Media Services, which delivers live weather information to 80 million U.S. households through partnerships with more than 100 local television stations; WeatherBugŪ Education, which provides weather information and educational tools to schools and colleges, including an engaging online learning program for K-12 schools called WeatherBugŪ Achieve; and WeatherBugŪ Professional Services, which uses the company's unique weather network and software to provide high-value solutions for vertical industries such as energy, transportation, and first response. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (aws.com).