Pricing
Plan the season. Check the ground. $249 a month.
WDS Business is the way into the WDS forecasting platform. It pairs long-range planning, from the WDS winter forecast to the 30- and 90-day outlooks, with a near-term forecast checked against the ground at each of your sites. Every WDS tool, set up for your industry, month to month. When you want a meteorologist on the call, WDS Business+ adds one.
This winter could swing hard. NOAA has an El Niño Advisory in effect and expects a very strong event. The WDS winter outlook calls for an active southern storm track and fewer long Arctic outbreaks across the northern US and Northeast, which points to big storms in some regions and long quiet stretches in others. No two El Niño winters play out alike, so plan for the season and watch the ground storm by storm. Snow and ice removal crews get the snow tools first.
The way in
WDS Business
$249a month
7 days free. Card or bank account. Cancel any time.
Every WDS tool for your crew. Plan the season with the WDS winter forecast, the 30- and 90-day outlooks and Snow Ops, then work each storm with Ground Truth at every site, site forecasts, radar, storm and lightning alerts, season snow totals and certified snow reports for up to 5 ZIP codes, on the web and in the app.
The way into the WDS forecasting platform for this winter, without a meteorologist on the line. Month to month, because we stand behind it. Snow Ops and Ground Truth come with the snow and ice removal setup.
Not included: chat or phone calls with a WDS meteorologist, and forecasts written for your operation.
With a meteorologist
WDS Business+
$499a month
Set up with a short proposal. Bank payment or card.
Everything in WDS Business, plus a WDS meteorologist you can chat with and call, and a forecast written for your operation every day by a WDS meteorologist.
For operations where the expensive calls come with every storm: when to send crews, when to pretreat, when to hold.
Already signed a proposal? Set up payment.
Compare
What each package includes.
Both packages run on the same forecast system, radar and alerts. WDS Business+ adds the people.
| What you get | WDS Business | WDS Business+ |
|---|---|---|
| Site forecastsHourly and 16-day forecasts for each of your sites from the WDS forecast system, built by WDS meteorologists. | Included | Included |
| Radar and Local RadarLive and future radar, storm reports and a close-up radar view for your area. | Included | Included |
| Storm and lightning alertsAlerts on your phone for lightning, severe storms and official warnings at your sites. | Included | Included |
| Winter forecast and Snow OpsThe season ahead and the next 30 and 90 days for your sites, and when snow and ice reach each one over the next 72 hours to 15 days. | Included | Included |
| Ground TruthThe near-term forecast checked against the ground at each site: when snow will stick, the first inch, ice and your ready-by time. | Included | Included |
| In-season snow totalsSeason snow for each site and ZIP code, day by day, next to its normal. | Included | Included |
| Certified snow reportsA signed report for each listed ZIP code after measurable snow, for invoices, contracts and slip-and-fall claims. | Up to 5 ZIP codes | The ZIP codes in your proposal |
| Team accounts and the 4070 appLogins for your crew on the web and on iPhone and Android. | Included | Included |
| Chat with a WDS meteorologistAsk about timing, amounts and the call in front of you, before and during the storm. | Not included | Included |
| Phone access to a WDS meteorologistCall when the decision cannot wait for a message. | Not included | Included |
| Daily forecast written for your operationA WDS meteorologist writes your forecast every day, in your terms, for your sites. | Not included | Included |
| Price | $249 a month | $499 a month |
Snow Ops and Ground Truth are part of the snow and ice removal setup. Certified snow reports cover US ZIP codes. Prices are in US dollars, plus applicable tax.
Ground Truth
The next few hours, checked against the ground.
Every Snow Ops site gets a Ground Truth board. WDS checks the near-term forecast for the pavement against what is being measured near the site: the nearest state road sensor, or the nearest airport weather station when no road sensor is close, and your own site camera where one is connected. When the ground disagrees with the forecast, the forecast is corrected from the measurement.
In WDS testing, correcting the forecast from the measurement cut surface-temperature error over the next 1 to 6 hours by about a third compared with the uncorrected forecast.
Ground Truth is part of Snow Ops in the snow and ice removal setup, on both packages. Asking a meteorologist about it comes with WDS Business+.
What your crew lead sees
- When snow starts to stick
- The hour snow should start to cover pavement, moved earlier or later by what the ground is doing now.
- The first inch
- When the first inch is down on paved surfaces, so the first push goes out on time.
- Ice
- Whether wet pavement is likely to freeze, and when, for the pretreat and salt call.
- Ready by
- The time a lot can be clear and ready for traffic.
- Nothing changed
- A plain note when the measurement does not change anything you plan around.
What your crew sees
The season ahead, the radar now, the report after.
Solutions, not just forecasts.
WDS meteorologists build the forecast system behind every site forecast, alert and snow report in WDS Business. With WDS Business+, you talk to them directly.
Questions
Pricing questions.
How does the free trial work?
WDS Business starts with 7 days free. You add a card or US bank account at checkout, and the first $249 charge comes when the trial ends. Cancel before then and you pay nothing. Your team gets every WDS Business tool during the trial.
Can I cancel any time?
Yes. WDS Business is month to month with no contract, because we stand behind it: if it is not earning its place on your storms, cancel online before your next billing date and you are not charged again. Questions about billing go to info@weatherdecisionsolutions.com.
How do I pay?
WDS Business is $249 a month by card or US bank account, the same price either way. WDS Business+ is $499 a month by bank payment or $509 by card, once your proposal is signed. Applicable tax is shown before you pay.
How many ZIP codes get certified snow reports with WDS Business?
Up to 5. Add them in Settings. After measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) at a ZIP code on your list, its certified report is created automatically within about two days. If you need more ZIP codes, WDS Business+ covers the list in your proposal, and single reports for any US address are at freesnowreport.com.
What is Ground Truth?
The near-term forecast for each of your sites, checked against what is being measured near it: the nearest state road sensor, or the nearest airport weather station when no road sensor is close, and your own site camera where one is connected. When the ground disagrees with the forecast, the forecast is corrected from the measurement, and the board tells your crew lead what that changes: when snow starts to stick to pavement, the first inch, ice and the time a lot can be ready, or that nothing you plan around has changed. It is part of Snow Ops in the snow and ice removal setup, on both packages.
What is a certified snow report?
A report of how much snow fell at a ZIP code during a storm, issued by Weather Decision Solutions and certified by a WDS meteorologist. It shows the WDS snowfall estimate, the official stations and vetted observer reports behind it, and a confidence level, so you can back up an invoice, a per-push or trigger-depth contract, or a slip-and-fall claim. It is an estimate built from nearby measurements and radar, not a measurement taken at your lot.
What does WDS Business leave out?
Talking with a WDS meteorologist by chat or phone, and forecasts written for your operation by a meteorologist. Your site forecasts come from the WDS forecast system that our meteorologists build, and your alerts still arrive in Chat. WDS Business+ adds the meteorologist.
I already pay for a weather service. How do I switch?
Start the free trial and run WDS Business beside your current service through the next storm. Add your sites and ZIP codes on the first day, compare the forecasts and alerts, then keep the one that served you better. If you would like help moving sites over, email info@weatherdecisionsolutions.com.
Can I move up to WDS Business+ later?
Yes. Ask for a WDS Business+ proposal from this page or from inside 4070. Your sites, team and snow history stay as they are; WDS Business+ adds meteorologist chat and phone access and a daily forecast written for your operation.
Which industries is it set up for?
WDS Business opens with a setup for snow and ice removal: plow and salt contractors see Snow Ops, snow totals and certified reports first. Any other weather-sensitive operation can choose all tools at signup and use the full menu.
Try it through the next storm.
WDS Business is free for 7 days. Add your sites and ZIP codes, watch the next system come in, and decide after.