Weather watcher training

Advice
#1

Have any of you taken the NWS class to become one of their weather watchers? Not the storm spotter one, but just the data gathering one.

In late summer I saw their website’s list of training dates and locations. They were almost done for the year at that point. Now I cannot even find anything about plans for spring of 2019. There WAS reference to classes in CO starting in April.

If you took the class and became one of their weather watchers, what do you think of the training and what do you do in your duties?

#2

Just found out it is called the National COOPERATIVE weather blahblahblah.

Who would’ve searched on “cooperative”? I used “citizen” as the modifier. Oh, well. I still would like to hear from anyone here who has participated.

https://www.weather.gov/coop/NWSTCModules

#3

I have a rock in my yard that is very accurate. Does that count?

#4

Only spotter training is offered here in northern MI. The NWS site offers several programs, but some require specific equipment. https://www.weather.gov/lkn/volunteering.html

My local NWS office, which covers all of northern Michigan and the eastern tip of the U.P., has an active FB page and regularly asks for snowfall reports. Most common “methodology” is measuring snowfall amount with a ruler, then taking a photo of the ruler showing the snow depth and posting it, preferably with your coordinates.

The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory has an app, mPING which crowdsources weather reports. I use it often although I can’t figure out why they combine snow and graupel since they define graupel as being rare in most places. https://mping.nssl.noaa.gov/

#5

Thanks, Rookie. Typical government websites: lots of info but hard to find what is desired. I will keep combing through the haystacks!