Apparatus and processes to automatically power-down a computer system upon determination of the presence, imminence, or forecast of severe weather in the local area. A computer system receives data relating to a weather forecast for a particular local area from a weather service communication server and, based on a determination of the presence, imminence or forecast of severe weather in the local area, initiates an automatic power-down sequence. A delay may be provided to allow the user time to abort the initiation of the automatic power-down sequence. The data may be transmitted in any suitable manner, e.g., over a telephone line through the PSTN, using the Internet, using a paging system, etc. The weather service communication server is provided with the particular local area relating to the computer system. For instance, in the case of a dial-up telephone call to the weather service communication server, call related information such as the telephone exchange number and/or the area code in Caller ID information can be used by the weather service communication server to determine the local area relating to the particular computer system. Thus, a user is provided additional security against damage which may be caused to all or a portion of a computer system due to lightning strikes, downed telephone poles, etc. as a result of severe weather in a local area.