SteamboatWeather is the ONLY locally owned and operated weather station with webcams in our community.
We do run banner advertising, but the entire operation is not yet financially self sustaining, and each year it gets a little tougher to cover the expenses.
Some History
In 2002 Jim Buford decided to build the weather station and the web site.
Jim is a hardware genius, and the mechanical and electronic portions of the operation were totally installed by him.
The web site was originally designed and built by a third party contractor, and then turned over to Jim to operate.
When Jim Buford retired in 2006, he asked me to take over all operations. Jim now lives in Atlanta, near his beloved daughter.
He had a relatively minor stroke in 2009 which affected his short term memory, but he gets around well and is still watching SteamboatWeather every chance he gets.
I'm very proud to have inherited this system, and truly believe in its value to this community.
Since 2006 we have made some improvements: New webcam, re-designed website, and new relationships with several partners.
Did you know that during the Winter months this website often logs well over 1000 visits a day, from all over the world?
Recently (Late DEC 2011), the computer that operates the weather station broke down and required replacement.
I just installed the new computer on DEC 27th 2011.
There have been some related "challenges", but that part of the system seems to be very stable now.
The weather station (the instruments) is almost 10 years old, and it's showing some signs of strain.
I'll probably have to replace some or all of the weather measuring instruments in Summer 2012.
That is what I'll save all of your donations to pay for.
Your support, in any amount, will help to keep this community weather resource online for years to come.
If you know of a local business that might want to help sponsor the SteamboatWeather website, please ask them to use this link to contact us.
Our current sponsors are:
Zirkel Wireless - the local Internet Service Provider in the Yampa Valley region since 2001
Colorado Mountain College - Steamboat Springs Campus
Legacy Vacation Club - Affordable family vacation accommodations @ Hilltop
Current Status
Currently, all instruments are working properly, but the weather history database is having problems.
The annual totals will reset on JAN 1, so I hope to be displaying 100% current and accurate info, including historical data, by early JAN 2012.
Perhaps knowing this historical context will help you understand how very much we appreciate your donation.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH for your support of our operations, and for being a regular visitor to the site.