It has been a while since our last newsletter and we felt, with a new release of Hurrtrak, upcoming hurricane conferences and the warmer weather just around the corner... now is a good time to do another.  Let's go through a few items of, hopefully, some interest to you...

Conferences:
It's a busy spring and early Summer with 3 hurricane related conferences on our schedule.

2009 National Hurricane Conference.  Austin, TX   April 6 - April 10, 2009
The National Hurricane Conference this year has moved west... to Austin, Texas.  This is the first time I can remember (at least since 1994) that the conference is at this location.  With Ike impacting Texas in a big way last year, it should be an interesting conference.  The conference is geared toward both government and private industry so if you have never been, you may want to consider attending this year.  It is being held at the Austin Convection Center and we will be exhibiting for the 16th straight year!  You can find more information at www.hurricanemeeting.com .  If you are coming to the conference, please stop by the exhibit area on Wednesday or Thursday any say hello.  We’ll be in booth #605.


2009 Florida Governors Hurricane Conference. Ft. Lauderdale, FL   May 10-15, 2009
In May, we will be exhibiting at the Florida's hurricane conference at the convention center in Fort Lauderdale... demonstrating the Hurrtrak software and talking about other services we provide..  If you cannot attend the National conference or if your own state conference has been cancelled, this is an excellent one to attend.   If you are interested in more information, go to www.flghc.org,

2009 AMS Conference on Inland affect of Tropical Cyclones, Atlanta, GA  June 10-12, 2009
This is a new conference this year and is being sponsored by the Atlanta Chapter of the American Meteorological Society and some private companies... ourselves included.  There is no exhibit hall for this conference but we will be attending portions of the conference.  If you plan on attending and would like to get together, please let us know.  More information on this conference can be found at http://www.ametsoc.org/chapters/atlanta/iitc.html .

Product Stuff:
New 2009 Product Releases...
We have sent out several emails about the 2009 versions of the Hurrtrak software.  We have added a few more enhancements since our last email... particularly in the area of Google Earth Exports (http://www.pcwp.com/2009/geexportenh.html).  To see the latest, we suggest that you check out the new features on our web site www.pcwp.com .   The web page http://www.pcwp.com/whatsnew.html is where you will find the most complete and concise information on the new features being introduced in 2009.  Remember this is not a complete list as we are still making changes.

HURRTRAK... stands out from the crowd
Often we get asked what features are included in the Hurrtrak software that other software or services do not have.  While there are many unique capabilities of Hurrtrak...  we have named the "top ten", in a concise format at http://www.pcwp.com/hurrtrakunique.htm .  A PDF version is at http://www.pcwp.com/pdf_files/hurrtrak_unique.pdf .  This may be useful when you need to explain to others why are a Hurrtrak customer!

QUOTES...
At your request, we have sent out quite a few quotes/estimates for the 2009 upgrade and/or renewal of Hurrtrak Online.  If you have not requested a quote please email us at wx@pcwp.com to request one.  We will email you a document that details the exact cost of products and services in 2009.  With product orders expected to start shipping in less than 2 months, now is a good time to act.

HURRTRAK Online statements...
We will be sending out email statements indicating when your Hurrtrak Online subscription is due to expire in 2009 right after we get back from the National Hurricane Conference in mid April.  If you have already arranged for renewal you can ignore this statement or if you would like this information now, please send us an email.

Training:
TRAINING IN 2009:
The online training videos at www.pcwp.com/training.html  have been well received.  We will be updating these for the 2009 version in May.  The training topics are designed to be "pick and choose", so they are appropriate for both new and experienced users. 

Lunch N Learn.. coming back this year:
Last year we introduced a new training method called .. Lunch N Learn.  It was setup as a video conference or Webinar whereby we conducted a training session and allowed the participants to ask questions, etc..  Last year was the first year we tried this and it was met with excellent reviews.  This year, we will start these sessions earlier in the season and it will be much easier to attend as there is no limitation on number of participants.  Please send us any suggestions you may have for topics.  The sessions are designed to last about 1 hour.

Miscellaneous:
Global Warming (aka. Climate Change.. or don't pin us down with an answer):
There is an excellent "alternative" web site on Global Warming... organized by a group of atmospheric scientist.  Check out www.icecap.us .

Humor:
Click here to see a Plumber with a sense of humor!
 

Upcoming Season
The latest Dr. Gray's Forecast from December is shown below.  In a nutshell, Dr. Gray's boys are forecasting a slightly above average season....  The details behind this forecast can be found at http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts/2008/dec2008/dec2008.pdf.
 

Hope to see you at one of the conferences!