The partnership aims to leverage weather data and insights to allow people to get their local OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™ as easily as their local weather forecast

 ATLANTA and RACINE, Wis. /PRNewswire/ — As summer’s higher heat and humidity nears, people prepare for an influx of mosquitoes. To help individuals and their families better protect themselves from mosquitoes, The Weather Company and its flagship consumer brand, The Weather Channel, has teamed up with OFF!®, America’s #1 trusted Insect Repellent brand in 2024¹, to bring local mosquito forecasts to The Weather Channel app. Launched in the U.S. in 2022, Brazil in 2023, and Canada in 2024, OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™ predicts mosquito behavior and populations to help consumers better plan summer activities and optimize their outdoor time this summer.

Through The Weather Company’s newly launched data and insights platform, The Weather Engine™, OFF!® brand is enhancing its OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™ from SC Johnson’s Center for Insect Science with weather data and analytics from The Weather Company, the world’s most accurate weather forecaster,² to include a mosquito index in The Weather Channel app, the world’s most downloaded weather app.³

How it works: Helping people become mosquito-ready
The collaboration focuses on combining OFF!® and The Weather Channel teams’ respective expertise to help people live well and enjoy the outdoors.

Incorporating over 15 billion climate data points and real-world mosquito data from 5,000 locations, the OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast combines entomology research on local mosquito species with detailed weather data inputs to predict mosquito populations and activity levels by ZIP code. Historic activity patterns, varying weather conditions, and weather and climate factors are accounted for when building these regional models.

Now leveraging The Weather Company’s deep meteorological expertise, enhanced datasets include historical and forecast temperature, humidity and precipitation for predicting mosquito sources, as well as forecast conditions that drive day-of mosquito activity.

How to view your OFF!Cast Forecast 
By integrating OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™ into The Weather Channel app, millions more consumers can now get into a routine of checking their local mosquito and weather forecasts simultaneously across multiple platforms:

• For those who already depend on the OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™, it continues to be available on OFF.com, but now with improved weather data from The Weather Channel.
• The OFF!Cast tool will also be visible in The Weather Channel app’s new experience on iOS. Check out the Daily tab and Outdoor Activity tabs for camping, hiking, golf and gardening for an at-a-glance risk level – low, medium, high, very high, severe – of mosquito activity based on local weather conditions for today and the days ahead.
• To know mosquito risk for the area, sign up for weekly forecasts on the OFF.com website or from within the OFF!Cast tool on The Weather Channel properties.
• Learn more about mosquitoes and how to avoid them with educational, integrated content across The Weather Channel app and OFF.com.
• When weather conditions are ripe for heightened mosquito activity, OFF! will share relevant, informative messaging on The Weather Channel digital properties and beyond.

“Mosquito activity is very dependent on weather patterns,” said Tom Mascari, principal entomologist with SC Johnson’s Center for Insect Science. “Checking the weather and local mosquito forecasts for the week can improve people’s ability to prepare themselves to spend time outdoors.”

What the partnership means: New, expanded mosquito forecasting resources
The Weather Company will now host the OFF!Cast mosquito model for users in the U.S., Brazil and Canada to start within The Weather Engine, a platform that combines proprietary weather data, first-party data and other supporting data sources to create multivariate models and analysis based on AI and 30 different weather variables. The result delivers deeper insights on the impact of weather with neighborhood-level precision to harness weather and scale its use across an enterprise.

“As weather patterns change and increasingly impact the health of both people and businesses, innovative teams like the OFF!® brand are using weather intelligence and factoring changing weather conditions into how they help consumers from the start,” said Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company. “This partnership is a natural fit, and the inspired innovation by both companies turned a trove of trusted, scalable data into invaluable insights to activate across a business, helping people understand their mosquito risk and plan ahead for mosquito protection.”

Since 2022, OFF!® brand has been helping people and families plan ahead for mosquitoes with OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast.™ This color-coded 7-day forecast of mosquito populations uses the SC Johnson Center for Insect Science’s 65 years of entomology expertise to provide consumers with an accurate view of mosquito activity. Similarly, The Weather Company helps people plan ahead to prepare for weather’s impact on their lives, which all starts with having accurate, reliable, actionable weather data.

The purpose-driven collaboration leverages deep content alignment and organic integration of weather data and insights to help people prepare for mosquito activity and stay safe. Check out the OFF!Cast Mosquito Forecast™ from OFF.com and The Weather Channel app for iOS.

ABOUT OFF!

OFF! brand is a pioneer in personal insect repellents for over 65 years. As one of SC Johnson’s leading pest control brands, OFF! is on a mission to make life better for the next generation. In addition to providing protection against mosquitoes, OFF! is a part of SC Johnson’s mission to develop mosquito prevention programs and supports scientific studies on mosquitoes that help make a difference in millions of lives. OFF! is proud to create products with proven effectiveness that repel mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies so families can have a trusted line of protection. No matter the activity or time outdoors, there is an OFF! product for every occasion. Ranging in both personal and area repellents, OFF! product offerings include: OFF! Deep Woods®, OFF! Clean Feel, OFF! Kids, OFF! FamilyCare, OFF! Defense, OFF! Botanicals®, OFF! Active, OFF! Backyard or OFF! products should always be used as directed. Effectiveness against pests differs by product and each OFF! product label should be read and followed carefully. Learn more at OFF.com.  

ABOUT SC JOHNSON
Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin USA, SC Johnson believes that a more sustainable, healthier and transparent world that inspires people and creates opportunities isn’t just possible – it’s our responsibility.

A heritage of innovation and bold, transparent decisions is why our high-quality products and iconic brands – including OFF!® Raid®, Glade®, Windex®, Scrubbing Bubbles®, Ziploc®, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day®, method®, Autan®, Baygon®, Mr Muscle®, Duck®, Lysoform® and more – are in homes, schools and businesses in virtually every country worldwide.

As a global, purpose-led company, we are committed to making the world a better place today and for future generations. That means relentlessly bringing our expertise in science, innovation and partnerships to bear on some of the world’s most pressing environmental and health issues like reducing plastic waste and helping to eradicate malaria. Around the world, we use our resources to unlock greater economic and educational opportunities for people and communities where access may be limited, but curiosity and potential are limitless. 

See how SC Johnson is a Family Company At Work For a Better World by visiting scjohnson.com or joining us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About The Weather Company
The Weather Company helps people and businesses around the world make more informed decisions and take action in the face of weather. With its deep industry expertise and highly accurate, high-volume weather data combined with advanced technology and AI, The Weather Company provides insights and solutions that harness the power of weather in a scalable, privacy-forward way. The world’s most accurate forecaster, the company serves hundreds of enterprise customers across media, advertising, aviation and more, and is trusted by hundreds of millions of monthly active users via digital properties from The Weather Channel (weather.com) and Weather Underground (wunderground.com). For more, visit weathercompany.com.

SOURCE The Weather Company

Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.

(Family Features) When spring arrives, days of enjoying your outdoor living space aren’t far away. Getting your yard ready for months of outdoor enjoyment will take a little work, but you’ll quickly see and appreciate the results.

These five steps can have you on your way to a lush, healthy lawn and outdoor area in no time.

1. Dethatch
   Throughout the winter, dead grass and other debris accumulate on your lawn. This waste, known as thatch, can be quite a hindrance to your spring lawn. It promotes fungi, encourages pests and keeps new grass seed from sprouting. You can use a special dethatching rake or any rake with sturdy tines.
    
2. Aerate
   Before spreading grass seed, you’ll want to give the new roots room to spread and grow. Aerating the lawn helps make your soil more welcoming to new growth by allowing moisture, nutrients and air to sink deeper into the soil. Depending on the size of area you need to aerate, two of the easiest options are doing the job by hand or using an attachment on a riding lawn mower.
    
3. Prune
   The lawn isn’t the only place debris can pile up. Your flower beds and any other vegetation can become a holding ground for twigs, branches, leaves and other yard waste. Give your plants, shrubs and trees a close look to find broken, damaged or dead material and remove it to make way for new growth.
    
4. Weed
   Even the healthiest lawns are susceptible to weeds, but getting a jump start on weeding early in the season can help you keep control. You can manage weeds by treating with an herbicide before the sprout or, if you prefer, there are chemical-free alternatives like vinegar, salt or cornmeal. Be aware that many alternative products don’t distinguish between the vegetation you want (like grass) and weeds, so these remedies are best used along borders and within beds to discourage weed growth.
    
5. Seed
   Winter weather and wear can cause uneven patches in the lawn. Seeding in the spring requires more work than the fall (especially if you tend to have hot, dry summers), but with enough nurturing and regular water, you can fill those spots in for a more uniform lawn.

Visit eLivingtoday.com for more advice to make your outdoor living space spectacular.

Photo courtesy of Unsplash

SOURCE:
Family Features

https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle

Make a Positive Impact by Planting a Tree

(Family Features) There are countless ways you can make your environmental contributions felt. If you’d like to join millions of others in the fight for Mother Earth, consider one of the most popular gifts given back to the world each year: planting a tree.

Consider these tips to properly plant a tree in your own yard.

Choose the Right Tree and Location
Depending on where you live and your desired outcome, choosing the right tree and planting location are critical factors. Larger shade trees help cool homes in warmer climates, evergreens provide privacy and fruit trees offer a grocery store right in your backyard. Consider your available space along with conditions that will impact the tree itself, such as soil conditions, sun exposure, drainage and more.

Dig Safely
Before digging, remember that proper tree placement requires factoring in underground utility lines, overhead power lines and proximity to sidewalks, driveways and homes. Dial 811, the national call-before-you-dig number, to locate underground utilities and consider contacting an arborist or tree care professional to make sure you’ve weighed all the important factors.

Break Ground
Dig a hole that’s roughly 2-3 times wider than the root ball of your tree and equally as deep as the root ball. Be sure the trunk flare (where the trunk expands at the base of the tree) is partially visible when planted. Remove any wrapping or cover from the root ball and trunk. Lift from the root ball, not the trunk, to place in the hole then straighten vertically and firmly backfill soil around the root ball to stabilize.

Add Mulch
Mulching helps maintain moisture and improve soil conditions while controlling weed growth. Place a 2-3-inch layer in a 3-foot radius around the base of the tree without touching the trunk itself.

Keep Soil Moist
Make sure your tree has enough water to grow strong by keeping the soil moist. Typically, this means watering just once per week, barring rain, but may require more frequency during especially hot weather.

Find more tips for giving back to Mother Earth at eLivingtoday.com.

Watch video to find out how!

SOURCE:
eLivingToday.com