Emergency Management Looking for Severe Winter Weather Spotters

Towson, Md. (November 12, 2008) – Local weather buffs have an opportunity to put their interest in meteorology to valuable practical use.

The Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is recruiting volunteers to help spot severe winter weather. The volunteers would be part of a national network of amateur severe weather spotters, trained by the National Weather Service to spot severe snowfall, ice accumulation and cold temperatures.

Along with the National Weather Service, the Office of Emergency Management will sponsor a "Weather Spotter Class" on Wednesday, December 3, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., at the Baltimore County Public Safety Building, 700 E. Joppa Rd., Towson. The class will be held in the 6^th floor conference room.

The class is free of charge.

To register, email tbrush@baltimorecountymd.gov, or call the Office of Emergency Management at 410-887-5996.

How Does ‘Spotting’ Work?

The National Weather Service’s Baltimore-Washington Forecast Office has recruited and trained spotters since 1990. Currently, there are about 2,000 volunteers in the Delmarva region. Two-thirds of the volunteers are licensed amateur radio operators who provide the National Weather Service with communications support during power outages.

When hazardous weather occurs, spotters report what is happening at their location to the local forecast office. In Baltimore County, spotters who live along coastal waterways report their data to the Baltimore County Office of Emergency Management; emergency planners here are especially interested in tidal observations.

The reports are combined with radar and satellite data to determine what a storm will do next. Radar may show that heavy snow is falling, but it cannot tell how much snow is on the ground or if rain is mixing with snow. Spotters can.

Forecasters use these reports to craft public statements, warnings and advisories that reach the public through the media, NOAA Weather Radio, the Internet and various commercial services.

The National Weather Service has designated Baltimore County a “Storm Ready Community.” Having a network of citizen weather spotters is a part of the county’s preparedness plan for severe weather