[April 07, 2014]

Little League and WeatherBug Launch iOS and Android App to Promote Lightning and Weather Safety

Little League^® Baseball and Softball, the world's largest youth sports organization, and WeatherBug (News - Alert), the brand millions trust to Know Before™ severe weather strikes, are launching Little League WeatherBug, a new mobile weather app providing coaches, managers, parents, family and friends of Little League with real-time weather, severe weather alerts, and personalized lightning detection to help stay safer during practice and ballgames this season.

Little League(R) Baseball and Softball and WeatherBug teamed up to launch the Little League WeatherBug mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert). Photo Credit: Little League Baseball, Incorporated.

Little League^® WeatherBug is available for download on both Google Play and the iTunes App Store for free. Watch the new short video about lightning and weather safety and see the app in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NEHtSxybos

This spring, millions of Little League players, ages 4 through 18, will converge on baseball diamonds and softball fields to play the sport they love. Keeping the children safe on the field is paramount for Little League. Being able to help protect them from severe weather - especially dangerous lightning - is a big concern. Little League's partnership with WeatherBug allows the ability to offer early warnings to lightning and weather, pinpoint forecasts, highlight heat index information, and show current conditions to help alleviate some of these concerns caused by severe weather.

"Since the first Little League game was played in 1939, the safety of the players, on the field and off, has been at the core of our organization," said StephenD. Keener, Little League President and CEO. "As we celebrate our 75^th Anniversary, we are pleased to partner with WeatherBug as our preferred weather provider, both at Little League International and at local Little League fields across the country. We hope all coaches, parents, friends and alumni can use the Little League WeatherBug app to better ensure safety during severe or extreme weather conditions."

The Little League WeatherBug app provides several unique features to keep you informed and alerted via Android phones and tablets, iPhones and iPads:

• Spark Lightning Detection: Powered by the world's largest lightning network, WeatherBug's exclusive Spark tool delivers personalized minute-by-minute, mile-by-mile lightning strike information so players can stay safer. Spark uses real-time lightning strike information from WeatherBug and your device's GPS location to provide color-coded warnings for lightning danger near you at that moment and other places - like the field where the game will be played.
• Faster Severe Weather Alerts: Get watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS), plus exclusive Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts (DTAs). Powered by breakthrough technology and live lightning data from the largest network in the world, DTAs can provide warnings of thunderstorms and other severe weather 50 percent faster, on average, than other apps.
• Live Local Weather and Weather Cameras: WeatherBug's exclusive local weather stations at schools, stadiums, and buildings, as well as NWS weather stations and other networks, deliver the weather data you need, when you need it. Real-time data from this dense network provide forecasts that are 25% more accurate. Plus, you can access WeatherBug's exclusive camera network from your area and around the country to see weather both near and far.

Early user reviews are positive: "Love the fact that Little League cares about safety enough to enlist a special weather app like Weatherbug. Love the lightning feature" (from an iOS customer on April 3, 2014).

"We're deeply honored to partner with Little League on this new weather app," says Bob Marshall, CEO of Earth Networks, the parent company of WeatherBug. "We are 100% committed to keeping children safer from severe weather and lightning, and it is our hope that the Little League WeatherBug app will ensure Little League coaches, managers, parents and families have the information they need to make better game-day decisions about weather safety."

About LLB

Little League^® Baseball and Softball is the world's largest organized youth sports program, with 2.4 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. In 2014, Little League is celebrating its 75^th Anniversary of developing major league people. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, or follow the Little League on Facebook (News - Alert) (facebook.com/LittleLeague) or Twitter (News - Alert) (twitter.com/LittleLeague). Celebrate Little League's 75^th Anniversary online at LittleLeagueBigLegacy.com, official hashtag: #LittleLeague75.

About Earth Networks - WeatherBug

For 20 years, we have been Taking the Pulse (News - Alert) of the Planet^® using the world's largest weather and climate networks. Our sensors across the planet keep consumers, businesses, and governments informed, updated and alerted. Our popular WeatherBug^® apps and website provide neighborhood-level weather, superior forecasts and advanced severe weather alerts to more than 30 million people monthly. Enterprises such as schools, airports, professional sports teams, utilities and government agencies rely on our Early Warning Solutions to safeguard lives, prepare for weather events, and optimize operations. Know Before™. Learn more at www.earthnetworks.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140407005289/en/

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