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

2008, 2025

A Summer I’ll Never Forget

Ellen Estabrook2025-08-27T09:42:31-04:00August 20th, 2025|Categories: Observer Blog|

A Summer I'll Never Forget By Madelynn Smith It’s hard to believe that my time here as an intern at Mount Washington Observatory is coming to a close. Before this internship I had never visited New England, and was only familiar with the hot, muggy summers

1808, 2025

My Photography Journey on Mount Washington

Ellen Estabrook2025-08-19T09:13:41-04:00August 18th, 2025|Categories: Observer Blog|

My Photography Journey on Mount Washington By Charlie Peachey I bought my first camera soon after finishing my internship at the Mount Washington Observatory in the summer of 2019, and that’s when my photography journey truly began. At the time, I didn’t know much beyond pointing

1808, 2025

Trail Report: Seek the Peak Hikes 8.5-10

Ellen Estabrook2025-09-08T10:34:32-04:00August 18th, 2025|Categories: Observer Blog|

Trail Report: Seek the Peak Hikes 8.5-10 By Chris Nichols July 30, 2025 – Summit 8.5 of 17 Sometimes things don’t work out as planned. This morning, I woke up early and headed up to the White Mountains, with a plan to climb Washington for number

Previous 262728 Next

Support Us

Mount Washington Observatory is a nonprofit research and educational institution working to advance understanding of Earth’s weather and climate.

We cannot do this without your support!

VOLUNTEER

DONATE NOW