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Mount Washington Observatory

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

2606, 2010

A Night Hike

June 26th, 2010|Categories: Historical Posts|

A Night Hike 2010-06-26 22:06:39.000 - Mike Finnegan,  IT Observer Tonight is one of those nights where it is nice to be indoors on the summit. It is rainy, foggy, and dark. The winds (mph) and the temperature (F) are both in the mid 40 range. This

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2506, 2010

Soccer!

June 25th, 2010|Categories: Historical Posts|

Soccer! 2010-06-25 17:07:24.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist Playing soccer as an intern, in 2006 The World Cup has generated a lot of excitement for soccer fans in the U.S. lately, particularly because our team is doing quite well. Having played soccer myself since I was

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2406, 2010

Sunrise/sunsets ahead

June 24th, 2010|Categories: Historical Posts|

Sunrise/sunsets ahead 2010-06-24 21:25:37.000 - Ryan Knapp,  Staff Meteorologist Day 175: Daylight: It's all downhill from here. Since starting as an observer on the summit, I have only worked the day shift a handful of times. When I first started here, it was usually my choice to

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An exciting EduTrip opportunity

March 11th, 2010|Comments Off on An exciting EduTrip opportunity

An exciting EduTrip opportunity 2010-03-11 18:08:11.000 - Brian Clark,  Observer and Meteorologist One of Chef John's creations from New Years During my week off that just ended yesterday, temperatures soared into the 50's in the

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March 10th, 2010|Comments Off on NULL

NULL 2010-03-10 04:19:02.000 - Tom Soisson,  Summit Volunteer NULL As a former science teacher, my greatest interests when spending time on the summit are the various science applications.There's the wind thing going on all the

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March 9th, 2010|Comments Off on NULL

NULL 2010-03-09 00:23:03.000 - Mike Carmon,  Staff Meteorologist NULL Our shift remains the good weather shift. Here's a comparison of some statistics of this shift week (3/3 - 3/9) vs. the other crew's last shift

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Mount Washington Observatory is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. Our weather station is located  on the summit of Mount Washington  in New Hampshire, at Mount Washington State Park.

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