A weather spotter is any individual who observes weather for the purpose of reporting his or her observations to a larger weather group or organization. Examples include National Weather service co-op observers and Skywarn storm spotters.
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A storm spotter is a specific type of type of weather spotter. These volunteers are usually trained by the National Weather Service or local Skywarn group, and are given a phone number or amateur radio frequency to report to if a severe weather event, such as a tornado, severe thunderstorm, or flash flood occurs where the spotter is located.
The National Weather Service Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) is a network of 11,000 volunteers that record official weather observations across the United States. Data is taken from a multitude of geographic regions and topography, and sent to the National Weather Service and National Climatic Data Center for official records.[1]
In making these reports, spotters use a specialized set of jargon and slang to describe their observations.[2]
Since New England experiences harsh winters, several regional television stations use weather spotters for up-to-date snowfall amounts and reports. WHDH-TV's network, launched by former meteorologist Todd Gross, is the largest in New England with close to 300 spotters. The former name of the group was "WHDHwx - The 7NEWS Weather Spotter Group." In December 2005, the group's name was switched to "NEWeather - Todd Gross' Weather Spotter Network", in light of Todd Gross' departure with Channel 7.
WZMY-TV's (formerly WNDS) meteorologist Al Kaprielian started his weather watcher group in 1986, when WNDS-TV first went on the air. Kaprielian features one weather watcher per night on "my TV Prime," with their name, town, and current temperature on the map.
Other Boston-area stations with weather spotter networks include WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV, and WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Media weather spotters are also extensive in the midwest, though they also report severe warm weather, such as large hail. WFIE in Evansville, IN,for example, has a massive network of over 100 spotters.