Citizen Science Puts Weather Reporting in Your Hands

A distant shower falls over Mount Martha, NH (aka, Cherry Mountain).

If you’re anything like me, you probably have an app or two dedicated to weather on your phone. Maybe you have a preferred app for weather forecasts, another for radar data, and yet another for satellite data. Or maybe instead of apps, you have several go-to websites bookmarked for various weather data.

Weather information keeps us informed so that we can prepare appropriately for the weather ahead, short-term or long-term. With colder weather in the forecast, we might pack a few extra layers or pull in a few more logs for the stove. Or, we might receive a warning about a severe storm heading your direction, and so we pack up, head indoors, and keep an eye on its progress.

While your favorite apps or websites might be providing you with weather data, did you know there are a few apps/sites that you can utilize and provide current weather data to aid in research as a citizen scientist?

Here are some apps that I have on my phone and might be of interest to you:

Mountain Rain or Snow

Remote sensing is improving and aiding in filling weather data gaps. However, precipitation phase changes can be difficult over mountainous terrain, and weather stations only provide information at a static location. That is where human observations aid in detailing how precipitation phase changes vary in time and space. Using these apps, with a few taps you can send observations of precipitation during storms at your location.

Forecasting

NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting weather reports through the free app mPING. What’s “mPING?” It is an acronym for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground. The data in turn help define the precipitation that is falling at your location and improve forecasts and radar techniques. That in turn filters down to improve those various other weather apps you might be using for forecasts and radar data.

Cloud Types and Sky Conditions

GLOBE Observer Clouds can be used to observe clouds, mosquito habitats, land cover, and trees. With the cloud observation aspect, you can help document cloud cover, cloud types, cloud opacity, sky conditions, visibilities, and surface conditions along with photographic examples. It is a bit more involved than the prior reporting apps, but with a few taps and snaps, you can contribute your real-world observations for better understanding and interpretation of satellite data vs surface data.

Ryan Knapp, Weather Observer & Meteorologist

611, 2007

Winter Wonderland

adm_mwobs2007-11-06T20:26:13-05:00November 6th, 2007|Categories: Historical Posts|

Winter Wonderland 2007-11-06 20:26:13.000 - Karen Thorp, Summit Intern NULL Winter is assuredly upon us; this morning we observed a light snowfall. The snow only provided a light dusting covering the alpine tundra, rocks, and road. Luckily enough with the riming events of the last few days,

611, 2007

Snow has arrived!

adm_mwobs2007-11-06T02:23:58-05:00November 6th, 2007|Categories: Historical Posts|

Snow has arrived! 2007-11-06 02:23:58.000 - Zach Allen, Meteorologist Crepuscular rays to the west. “I’ve been waiting for the snow to fall and cover us all. Yeah, I’ve been waiting for the snow to fall and cover us all.”-The String Cheese Incident, ‘Round the WheelAs I walked

411, 2007

Rding Out Noel.

adm_mwobs2007-11-04T03:03:51-05:00November 4th, 2007|Categories: Historical Posts|

Rding Out Noel. 2007-11-04 03:03:51.000 - Zach Allen, Meteorologist Extreme Harvest! With the light shining from my headlamp, the iced objects in the dark reminded me of the famous photograph of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance. The low light on the accumulating glaze and rime ice craft

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