Disclaimer on the ALAC Weather Service
Although the ALAC Weather Service in Middleton and their meteorologists believe that they are accurate and precise as possible. However, in no situation or event can the ALAC Weather Service or any of its associates be held responsible for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any incorrect forecasts, discussions, statements, and/or products that it has provided either written by the ALAC Weather Service, or relayed from the National Weather Service. We can also not be held responsible for any statements severe weather or not that do not make it to our website.
The ALAC Weather Service staff consists of students who have done training in meteorology, severe weather spotting, and forecasting. If you have a concern about a staff member's capability to forecast for ALAC please email austin.lacey@alacweather.com without hesitation.
All forecast graphics, depictions, and pictures are considered experimental, and should not be used for official use without first contacting the ALAC forecaster-in-charge. Our products, including those issued during severe weather, are designed to help give people information -- and are not designed to replace official National Weather Service statements and products.
This website contains forecasts, current statements, observations, and much more!
The ALAC Weather Service website is up and running 24 hours a day, and forecasts are updated a minimum of 2 times a day. (with exceptions)
The ALAC Weather Service also has the "Listen to Forecasts" section on our site. However, text versions are updated first and then the audio version on that page. If time is critical always check the text version first, then the audio. Otherwise audio versions are updated within 5 minutes of the text version being issued. Please note that we DO NOT have audio versions of "short-fuse" warnings. (i.e. Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Tornado Warning)
The ALAC Weather Service is not directly affiliated with the National Weather Service since none of our employees currently work there. However, we do help them out by relaying our weather reports to them, and we communicate with the NWS offices that service our county warning area.
The information on the ALAC Weather Service is on a public domain and making it available to all with an internet connection. Much of the data is collect from NWS servers, so data from our site is free for the public to use. However, you must make sure if something is copyrighted to include the copyright information. We are a forecasting website, and since we are not always correct with our forecasts we can not be held responsible for mistakes, errors, and incorrect forecasts; as we are human forecasters too! Even though we do make mistakes, the majority of the time forecasts are correct.
Our staff consits of "forecasters in training" who would like to become meteorologist when they enter into college. As a result, we are an amature forecast team that consits of high school students. However, all staff memebers must be trained and tested before they forecast. A staff memeber will not be held responsible for any errors in products or forecasts, as they are working to the best of their abilities.
During severe weather events, the ALAC Weather Service Storm Detection Center may issue a "Strong Storm Watch." This watch is NOT an official watch by any means. Strong Storm Watches are issued by ALAC when we detect a good chance of strong thunderstorms. These watches will be posted on the ALAC section of the current statements page. During severe weather, we reccomend using a NOAA Weather Radio.
Also, when a certain strong/severe thunderstorm is affecting a location, but it is not yet under an official National Weather Service warning, we may issue a "Significant Weather Alert" or a "Severe Weather Alert" for that location. This is designed to alert people to pay attention for any offical NWS warnings that may be issued for this storm and it is designed to give people additional information. Again please listen to NOAA Weather Radio if weather threatens. These statements and products are not designed to replace NWS statements.
You May Not:
1) Claim any information on from our site or from the NWS is your own. 2) You may not use information and make it look as if you have a direct connection with the ALAC Weather Service when you do not. 3) Modify content issued by the ALAC Weather Service and still call it an official ALAC Weather Service product.
Time:
Before reading a product make sure you read the time the product was issued at! Products are updated on a needed basis. Users will use the ALAC Weather Service at their own risk, and remember that the internet is not the first source you should use when getting up-to-date severe weather statements. Even though most of the time our site will be updated during severe weather, there may be that one time when the product does not get to our server as fast as we would like it.
Anyone who uses ALAC Weather Service forecasts inappropriately or changing content written by the ALAC Weather Service or the National Weather Service is subjected to criminal offences.
Hyperlinks:
Any hyperlinks provided on the ALAC Weather Service website leading you to another organization or website is not endorsed or affiliated with the ALAC Weather Service. These links are for weather related topics that may interest some of our viewers, and the ALAC Weather Service is not responsible for content on their sites.
Employment:
At this time, all positions at the ALAC Weather Service are volunteer only! The ALAC Weather Service Madison/Middleton, WI is a volunteer organization run by Austin Lacey, so no paid postions are available at the current time. If you are interested in volunteering your time we would be glad to have you help us out! Send an email to employment@alacweather.com with your interest.
Reporting Observations To Us:
The ALAC Weather Service welcomes people to report their weather observations to us using the "Make a Report" page. However, people who enter false reports, abuse our computer system, and/or distract from actual reports are subject to a criminal offense. While doppler radar only shows us what could be happening inside a storm, actual reports help us confirm what we see on radar.
Special Event Forecasts:
The ALAC Weather Service also offers Special Event forecasts, which is when a person requests a forecast for a special event. The ALAC Weather Service is also not resoncible for any incorrect forecasts, not emailing a forecast to you, or any harm to life or property that is caused from the forecast, weather conditions that do develop, and from our website.
Severe Weather Alerts/Watches/Advisories:
Our forecasters at the ALAC Weather Service will issue "Significant Weather Alerts, Severe Weather Alerts, Strong Storm Watches, and Minor Flooding Advisories" during times of hazardous weather. This products are EXPERIMENTAL and do not reflect National Weather Service watches, warnings, and advisories. ALAC Weather Service, its forecasters/employees, nor the National Weather Service are resoncible for any injuries, loss of person property, etc. from the content or lack of content on these products. Do not make life-dependant decisions off of internet weather information. USE OUR SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCTS AT YOUR OWN RISK. These products are not official National Weather Service statements or warnings. Our products are not designed to replace National Weather Service statements or products. Additionally, we are not responcible for delays in the information provided on the "National Weather Service Current Statements" page. During severe weather you should never use an internet website for your first weather source. We recommend a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.
Email Newsletter:
At ALAC, we also sometimes send out a newsletter to our subscribers when adverse weather approaches. However, we do not always get to, so do not rely on an email from us to tell you when hazardous weather is approaching. Also with the newsletter, we do not sell, share, lend, or distribute your personal information, email, etc. for any reason unless required by law.
Adds:
As of July 2009, the ALAC Weather Service website will have adds by Google Adsense posted on a few pages of our website. None of the companies advertised on the ALAC Weather Service website have connections, offers, or products the we endorce here at ALAC WFO Middleton. Please use the adds at your own risk, and ALAC is not responcible for any content, products you buy, or experiences you may have on the advertiser's websites. However, if you do feel one of the adds that is posted on our site is innapropriate or not acceptable for our website, please contact us via email, and we will try our best to get it removed.
Thank you, and please direct questions/comments to the emails below!
Please email: info@alacweather.com or austin.lacey@alacweather.com
Last Updated: July 2009