Clear the midway in time. Keep the gates open when the storm misses.
A fair, a carnival or a weekend market lives or dies on a few days of weather, and the NWS polygon that covers your county tells you nothing about whether the storm reaches your grounds during the evening rush. SiteWarn™ puts a meteorologist on your exact footprint for the run of the event — lightning warnings with time to clear rides and the midway, wind at your ride and tent limits, and a real all-clear so you reopen minutes after the threat passes, not hours.
Trusted for 14 years at more than 400 sites in all 50 states, with a 100% client renewal rate.
Customized for a single site — or for a command or operations center monitoring hundreds, even thousands, of sites from one screen.
Why fairs, carnivals and markets choose SiteWarn
A fully customized program: you set the thresholds, we watch the weather.
Lightning warnings the NWS won't give you
The National Weather Service issues no public warning for cloud-to-ground lightning — the hazard that actually ends an outdoor event. We alert you in time to clear rides, the midway and the grandstand before a strike, and give you the all-clear when the last strike is far enough behind you to reopen.
Your grounds, not the entire region
An NWS polygon that includes your county doesn't mean the storm reaches your lot. We monitor your exact footprint and alert only when there's a real threat — and when the polygon includes you but the storm won't, a null-warning notification keeps the gates open.
Wind at your ride and tent limits
The Ferris wheel, the inflatables, the vendor tents and the main-stage roof don't share a wind limit. You set the threshold for each; we warn on each with onset and end timing so operations closes and reopens in the right order.
A meteorologist for the run of the event
Single-event, multi-day and touring-route coverage with a meteorologist assigned and reachable by phone throughout — for the board, the carnival operator and the market manager alike. Unlimited staff on the alerts at no extra cost.
What a typical fair or carnival program looks like
Built with the event's safety and operations leads. Here is a common starting point for a county fair or a multi-day festival; touring carnivals repeat it lot by lot.
- Event forecast: hour-by-hour forecast for the grounds issued two days out, the day before and each morning of the event, covering rain timing for the gates, lightning risk, wind for rides and tents, and heat.
- Lightning: alert on cloud-to-ground strikes within 10 miles (staff up, prepare announcements), warning within 8 miles (clear rides, midway and grandstand), all-clear 30 minutes after the last strike inside the radius.
- High wind by structure: warnings at your thresholds — for example, 25 mph for inflatables and tent sidewalls, 30 mph for tall rides, 35 mph for staging — with onset and end timing.
- Tornado, hail and severe thunderstorm: grounds-specific warnings with expected arrival time for sheltering guests; null-warning notification when the NWS polygon includes you but the storm does not.
- Heat (WBGT or heat index): advisories and warnings at your thresholds for guests, livestock areas and outdoor staff, on either scale.
- Delivery: portal and push alerts to the operations lead, live phone call for anything guest-critical, text to ride operators, vendors and security — and an API feed into your event messaging or PA system if you use one.
Take the one-page overview with you
Everything on this page on a single sheet — lightning during the event, wind for tents, rides and staging, rain timing for the gates, and single-event coverage with a meteorologist on the phone. Made to forward to your board, sponsors or the venue.
"We could not possibly go without your services! We routinely make believers out of event venues when they overreact to an inaccurate TV weather forecast."
Cheryl Bailey, Yellow Umbrella Events, Austin, TX
"I am simply amazed at how accurate you guys are!"
Earl Studdard, NCFDFC Baseball Complex, New Braunfels, TX
Questions fair boards and carnival operators ask
Can you cover a single event, like a five-day county fair?
Yes. Single-event and multi-day programs come with a meteorologist assigned for the run of the event, reachable by phone. Touring carnivals can be covered lot by lot across a season. Single-site programs start at $99.95 a month; multi-site discounts apply — ten sites does not cost ten times one.
Do you warn for lightning?
Yes. The National Weather Service issues no warnings for cloud-to-ground lightning. SiteWarn alerts you to strikes within a custom radius of your site with enough lead time to move people and protect equipment, and tells you when it is safe to resume.
How fast can we reopen after a storm?
Faster than with public warnings. SiteWarn gives you an all-clear based on the actual lightning and storm position relative to your grounds — typically 30 minutes after the last strike inside your radius — rather than waiting for an NWS warning to expire.
Can you warn on different wind speeds for different rides and tents?
Yes. You set the threshold per ride, tent or structure, and warnings name which ones are affected and when, so operations closes and reopens in the right order.
What does the Free Live Trial involve for an event?
We set up your real grounds and your real thresholds before the event and monitor it exactly as we would for a paying client — no credit card and no obligation. Most events are set up the same day.
See it live before the gates open
Not a demo. We set up your real grounds with your real ride and tent thresholds and monitor them exactly as we would for a paying client — starting with your next event.
- Event forecasts and live lightning, wind and severe weather warnings for your actual grounds
- Portal, app and radar access for operations, ride operators and security
- Your thresholds, lead time and delivery methods
- No credit card, no contract, no obligation
Prefer to talk first? Call (512) 504-3151 or email sitewarn@weatherguidance.com during business hours, and we'll get right back to you.
SiteWarn also serves event and wedding venues, amusement parks, parks and sports complexes and more than a dozen other industries. See what the portal and app look like.