Introducing SevereCast: AI-Driven Thunderstorm Intelligence. Down-to-the-Asset.

The polygon era is ending. SevereCast replaces county-level warnings with asset-level threat tracking, updated every 60 seconds as storms evolve.

Severe thunderstorms are among the most chaotic events in meteorology. For years, the industry standard for managing this risk has been the warning polygon issued by government agencies like the National Weather Service—a "broad brush" shape designed to protect the public, not run an operation. It exaggerates the area of risk, updates manually while the storm has already moved on, and tells you nothing about what's actually inside the cell or which of your specific assets are in its path.

Today, we are moving beyond the polygon. The need for accurate, down-to-the-asset thunderstorm intelligence is why we built SevereCast. It is the first AI-driven, severe thunderstorm tool designed to provide a tight, asset-level focus on the places that will actually be impacted, while reducing the noise for everyone else.

What is SevereCast?

SevereCast is a hyperlocal storm-tracking and predictive tool built to address the "over-alerting" crisis in enterprise operations. While traditional warnings cover entire counties, SevereCast uses a new concept known as “threats-in-motion” to identify the specific shape of where severe thunderstorm hazards are actually taking place, and continuously updates every 60-120 seconds as complex storms rapidly change and develop.

By scanning real-time radar data to understand the threats hidden within a storm cell—rather than just looking at the storm's footprint—SevereCast provides a level of clarity that radar alone cannot. It tells you exactly what is happening inside the storm, where it is moving, and when the threat has truly passed.

Intelligent Thunderstorm Prediction vs Legacy Methods

🎯 Tight Focus vs. Broad Polygons 

Government agencies will often create broad polygons to ensure total public safety. SevereCast typically layers within these polygons, identifying the specific outline where the threat is live. By tightening the focus, we help you identify everything from which drivers in a warned county are actually at risk to what outdoor event venues need to shut down operations. 

⛈️ Threats in Motion: Storms are Fluid, and Monitoring Should be Too

Legacy warnings are static and polygon-based—drawn manually, updated every 10-15 minutes, and often shifting miles between revisions while the storm itself has already moved on. SevereCast's Threats-in-Motion scans radar every 60-120 seconds, producing a fluid shape that follows the actual hazards as a cell grows, weakens, and changes direction. The result is a more accurate picture of risk in real time—and critical lead time on the small, fast-moving storms legacy warnings miss.

📉 Real-Time Accuracy: When Threats Wane 

A legacy weather warning can remain "valid" for 30-60 minutes, even if the storm has weakened or shifted. This often keeps operations stalled long after the danger has passed. SevereCast correctly identifies when a threat has waned in real-time, allowing your team to get back on the road safely or resume daily operations at the right time.

📡 Beyond the Radar: Scanning for Actual Risk 

Radar alone doesn't give users a true understanding of the risks that exist. SevereCast goes deeper, scanning the radar to identify the specific threats—such as hail size, wind velocity, and tornadic signatures—within a given cell. We don't just show you that it's raining; we show you the actual risk to your margin.

🔮 The 1-Hour Predictive Window, 15 minute chunks. 

While most severe weather tracking tools are reactive, SevereCast is predictive. We forecast risk specific threats out to 1 hour in 15-minute increments, giving you the lead time needed to re-route assets or secure facilities before the storm arrives.

Key Features and Benefits

1. View Specific Hazards in a Thunderstorm: SevereCast breaks down what threats exist within a severe thunderstorm cell, which includes Tornado Risk, Hail Risk, and Wind Risk. Users can easily see not only that a Moderate or High Risk Severe Thunderstorm cell has developed, but also that the risk is specifically for “nickel-sized hail” or “wind greater than 60 mph.”

   
   

2. 60-Second Data Refresh: Thunderstorms move fast. Waiting 15 minutes for a data refresh is a gamble. SevereCast updates every 60–120 seconds, ensuring that your operational "map" matches the sky outside your window.

   
   

3. 60-Minute Forecast with 15-Minute Increments – SevereCast shows you where a thunderstorm threat will move once it has developed. Forecasts go out to 60 minutes and are produced in 15 minute chunks, showing you step by step when certain hazards will affect specific locations or assets.

   
   

4. Asset-Level Impact Intelligence: Overlay your distribution centers, retail locations, and live vehicles. SevereCast identifies which specific assets will be impacted by hail or wind, allowing you to manage by exception and keep the rest of your network moving.

   
   

5. Seamless API & Workflow Integration: SevereCast is designed to live where your operations happen. Integrate our 3km impact data directly into your existing logistics or safety software via our robust API.

Core Use Cases & Real-World Applications

Trucking and Logistics – Over-alerting is a liability. When drivers are bombarded with regional warnings that don't hit them, they stop reacting to the data. SevereCast ensures that if a driver gets an alert, it is a legitimate threat to their specific mile marker. Fewer, more accurate alerts increase trust and the likelihood of action. Our pre-built ELD and TMS integrations make this a seamless process.

Government & Public Safety: Enhance resource allocation by focusing on the actual impact zones. Use our 1-hour predictive window to pre-position emergency teams with a level of precision traditional polygons can't match. Warn the public or government workers with higher precision and additional insight before a severe thunderstorm.

Retail, Infrastructure, & Insurance: Protect high-value inventory from hail and wind without shutting down your entire operation. SevereCast provides the clarity needed to secure specific facilities only when a direct hit is imminent.

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Achieve a True Operational Advantage

The era of reacting to broad, outdated polygons and warnings is over. With SevereCast, you can predict impact, protect your people, and eliminate operational noise that stalls your growth.

Predict impact, not just weather. See the difference with SevereCast.

To explore the SevereCast impact layer, contact us today https://www.weatheroptics.co/contact-the-team