Background
MemphisWeather.net began in 2003 as an expansion of a personal website ("Erik's Memphis Weather Page") that was designed primarily for friends and family to get local forecasts and other Memphis-centric weather information. With a brand established, word got out and the website visitor numbers grew - slowly most of the time, but by larger numbers during "big weather events." (A screenshot of the website as it looked in 2005 is shown below - who remembers this??) In 2007, the website was redesigned and a mobile version of the site was released a year later.
With the advent of social media in the late 2000's and launch of our first mobile app in 2011, the site's visibility was boosted across the greater Memphis metro. MWN, as it came to be called, continued a steady growth phase and the site itself grew as well, adding more pages and features. The framework of the main website and its mobile counterpart, however, did not change.
Upcoming changes
It had been 17 years since the last major refresh of the site as we sat at a bit of a crossroads earlier this year. Mobile app development costs had increased significantly. Routine app updates are required to meet store specifications and remain compatible with device improvements and new features. However, the majority of us are using our phones for just about everything, so being "mobile friendly" remains vital. The main MWN website was built for full screen viewers (desktops/laptops), while the mobile site has remained fairly basic. Given a need for a flexible web presence, and also our desire to continue to invest in app development for StormWatch+ to serve a national audience, we made the choice to rebuild the MWN web experience to reach users with an array of content accessible on all platforms, while bidding farewell to the legacy MWN app. (More on that in a minute.)
MWN in 2024
The all-new "2024 version" of MemphisWeather.net (shown below) was released in June. So what can you expect from the new MWN?
- A completely new and modernized web layout, with distinct mobile and full-screen experiences, built on a single platform for ease of maintenance and upkeep.
- A seamless integration of the MWN Blog, as the site is built on WordPress and all previous blog posts will be migrated to the new site.
- All of the content you have come to expect from MWN, plus an expanded offering of products for the mobile user!
- Opt-in "push notification" style messaging to keep you updated - on new content, approaching severe weather, or even maintenance events - in a proactive fashion.
- New technology that allows you to drop MWN onto your phone's home screen, launching and interacting with it just like a mobile app, without requiring us to spend big bucks to develop standalone mobile apps. A win-win!
MWN mobile app is being retired
Returning to the legacy MWN mobile app, we were aware that it had fallen into a bit of disrepair, but unless we completely rebuilt it to the latest requirements of the app stores, we were unable to just fix the little things. Therefore, with the release of the new website, the MWN app was removed from the app stores and no longer supported. (You can find easy steps to create the "app experience" you are used to at the top of our Facebook and X pages!)
Unfortunately, this change also meant that the push notification-based severe weather alerts in the MWN app (StormWatch+ Alerts) also were unsupported at the end of July. We know that a LOT of you rely on these alerts from the MWN app. Not to worry! We will be providing information on transitioning to our recently rebuilt StormWatch+ app with nationwide severe weather alerting, which offers enhanced features as compared to MWN alerts. More on this in the near future as well!
Thank you!
We're grateful for the thousands of you who are longtime MWN "fans," and appreciate the trust you place in MWN for your local weather needs! We'll work with you through the transition to ensure that your overall MWN experience is a positive one! Further information on the new site, how to consume the information from it, and transition to the StormWatch+ app for alerts, will be communicated through social media, on our site and blog, and in this Help Center. Thank you for your continued support in the weeks, months, and years ahead!
Erik Proseus & Richard Hoseney
Co-Owners/Meteorologists
Cirrus Weather Solutions, LLC
MemphisWeather.net and StormWatch+
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