This year’s hurricane season has officially begun: Hurricane Irene, which was upgraded from a tropical storm overnight, is projected to hit southern Florida on Thursday and make its way up the east coast. Three stations in West Palm Beach — which is directly in Irene’s projected path — are using smartphone applications to help deliver southern Florida residents up-to-date information.
WPBF, WPEC and WPTV are all using slightly different versions of the smartphone technology to keep viewers informed. WPBF, the market ABC affiliate, has a hurricane tracker app (pictured) that follows the standard — and increasingly popular — model for local hurricane apps: it features interactive maps, information about evacuation zones and the Twitter feeds of WPBF meteorologists.
WPTV has a slightly different forum: the NBC affiliate is using their standard weather app, which is always active and features updates on daily weather without being restricted to hurricanes, to deliver hurricane-related updates.
CBS affiliate WPEC is offering weather updates on their standard station app, which is available across every smartphone platform and delivers daily news on weather and traffic, as well as breaking headlines.