COLUMBIA, S.C. — Meteorologists rely on a vast network of sensors, satellites, and radars to collect data for forecasting. But, these tools provide a limited amount of information.
Another way meteorologists get data is through volunteers in a program called SkyWarn. Leonard Vaughn with the National Weather Service says it is made up of volunteers who observe and report severe weather conditions.
“We’re here in the office, the severe weather is going on across the Midlands in South Carolina," Vaughn said. "We obviously can’t be everywhere. We really need them to provide us with feedback on what they see.”
The reports provided by the volunteers help the National Weather Service issue timely warnings to the public and emergency responders. “They’re also like our partners, our citizens/scientists in the field, our eyes watching the weather," Vaughn said.
Another way meteorologists get data from volunteers is through a program called CoCoRaHS, which stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network.
“All of our observers come from different walks of life, different backgrounds, different age groups," said South Carolina Assistant State Climatologist Melissa Griffin. "So, really having that enthusiasm for wanting to be part of something knowing that the data they provide is going to be useful to some many different agencies, both state and federal.”
CoCoRaHS volunteers use special gauges to measure precipitation levels and report their findings to meteorologists.
“It’s a high-capacity rain gauge. It can hold almost 11 inches of water in it. It can take a lot of rain to fill it up and for the most part, the rain gauge is going to be empty. It’s going to be zero. Knowing that we have all the rain gauges that are the same makes it a lot easier to do comparisons,” Griffin said.
Griffin says to become a volunteer, you just need to buy the rain gauge and have a love for weather.
Here are the applications to volunteer:
SkyWarn: weather.gov/btv/skywarn_join
CoCoRaHS: cocorahs.org/application.aspx
And, of course, the News 19 weather team wants to hear from you! As part of our Weather Watchers Facebook group, you can help tell the weather story across the Midlands by sending in pictures, videos, and information you see from where you live.
Any pictures or videos you post may end up in our newscast. Plus, you'll get an inside look at the behind the scenes at WLTX and get the latest information on your forecast from the team.