KYW Launches The CBS 3 Mobile Weather Lab

The first snowflake has yet to hit the ground, but CBS O&O KYW Philadelphia (DMA 4) unveiled its newest weapon in storm coverage Monday at 4 p.m. on Eyewitness News.

The CBS 3 Mobile Weather Lab, a state-of-the-art weather station on wheels, broadcast live from the Franklin Institute with Meteorologists Kathy Orr and Carol Erickson forecasting on location.

The Mobile Weather Lab is housed inside a sports utility vehicle and features two dashboard-mounted cameras, microwave capability that allows it to “go live” even when in motion, two iPads, real-time National Weather Service radar as well as Internet, GPS navigation and Skype capability.

The vehicle’s weather station apparatus also allows the meteorologists using the vehicle to have temperature, wind speed and direction, dew point and solar radiation readings live on location. In fact, the detail available is so sophisticated that this particular system, which includes lightening strike data and Level 3 National Weather information, is the type used by first responders during natural disasters. An LED crawl on the top of the SUV will display the weather information in real time.

“The Weather Lab is a great tool to give us an edge in weather coverage,” says VP-News Director Susan Schiller, “because it is literally the embodiment of weather where you live.”  Schiller adds that the vehicle is also a great teaching device and the meteorologists are looking forward to taking it to area schools and community events this winter and beyond.”

KYW President-GM Jon Hitchcock says the investment “will differentiate our coverage and offer better local information for the viewer. Last winter’s record storms taught us to use new and emerging technology at our disposal from Skype to iPhones. Those lessons have been engineered into this vehicle with plans to take our Eyewitness coverage to an even higher level this season.”