Council to transition away from weather alerts provider

Lockyer Valley Regional Council is encouraging residents to download the Bureau of Meteorology’s free BOM weather app as Council prepares to move away from its paid weather alerts provider.

Mayor Tanya Milligan said Council would cease its contract with the Early Warning Network (EWN) on 31 July 2026.

“Since 2011, the EWN has delivered severe weather alerts to more than 4000 local subscribers, with Council covering the costs for all subscriptions,” she said.

“However, the BOM Weather app now provides broader coverage and enhanced early warning notification options for residents and is at no cost to Council or the community.

“As we transition away from using the EWN, we are encouraging EWN subscribers and those who haven’t opted in to a weather alert system before, to download the free BOM Weather app.”

Mayor Milligan said the app allows users to receive warning notifications for up to three locations across Australia.

“This feature is really useful, especially when checking to see if severe weather is heading towards friends, family, your workplace or home,” she said.

“All you need to do is head to the menu on the app, click ‘notifications’ and select your desired locations.

“In addition to warnings, the app provides hourly and seven-day forecasts and radar information. It also has an offline mode for times when you don't have any internet, enabling users to access crucial weather information during outages or in mobile black spots.”

Mayor Milligan said Council has notified its EWN subscribers directly of the need to transition to the BOM Weather app before the 31 July deadline.

“Residents who are unable to access the BOM Weather app directly due to limited digital literacy, lack of smartphone access, or previous reliance on landline and email notifications, will still have access to critical information via the radio and official websites including Council’s Disaster Dashboard,” she said.

The BOM Weather app is free to download on Apple and Android mobile and tablet devices and can be found in the App Store for iPhones or iPads or the Google Play store for Android.

Alternatively, it can be downloaded by visiting Council’s Disaster Dashboard disaster.lvrc.qld.gov.au and clicking on the ‘Weather Alerts Notifications’ tab or by visiting www.bom.gov.au/bom-weather-app.

For FAQs about the transition, visit www.lockyervalley.qld.gov.au/ewn.