NNYers join weather spotters network

Many people spend their lives fascinated by the weather. Several people in the north country have taken that captivation and turned it into a hobby that helps predict weather patterns and explain Mother Nature: they have become weather spotters.

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, a national weather observation organization, is looking for more weather spotters in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

"The weather-observing program is dwindling," said Kathryn Vreeland, climatologist at the Northeast Regional Climate Center in Ithaca and state coordinator of the program. "The spotters would be providing information for places that may not be well-covered by a National Weather Service cooperative. Volunteer spotters fill in those holes."

The network started in 1998 after floods devastated Fort Collins, Colo. It has expanded to 35 states and more than 8,000 volunteers. There now is one spotter in each of the three north country counties.

"The information is used to monitor and plan for different types of events," Mrs. Vreeland said. "We can look to see what has recently happened and predict what may happen with the weather that's coming in."

Volunteers in the program are required to purchase their own rain gauges, which cost about $20, and input data into a Web site daily.

The information is taken by the National Weather Service in Buffalo, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other weather services to predict severe weather and keep up with trends, Mrs. Vreeland said.

"I get a kick out of seeing all of the data the observers are putting in," she said. "The rain gauges we use are very accurate, but the data can really vary from person to person."

George W. McBride has looked to the sky with fascination since he was a child.

"I've always had an interest in weather," he said. "Even in college I set up a little weather station behind the dorm and I would check the snowfall and rain and temperature every day."

Mr. McBride has been measuring snowfall for the National Weather Service in Buffalo for 12 years. An e-mail was sent to observers last year asking if anyone was interested in joining the growing network, called CoCoRaHS by its members.

"Before, I just kept track of it in my daily journal," said Mr. McBride, who lives in Carthage. "CoCoRaHS make it really easy. You can see other people's data or your own. Traditionally, all we've had is the airports that keep the information. Now, if they get more spotters, they'll get more data and people can make better judgments of the weather around us."

Robert M. Bellinger, Harrisville, has been a snow spotter and a part of the Sky Warn team at the weather service in Buffalo for three years and decided to be a part of the network this year.

"The weather is a real concern in the area and people should be made aware of it," he said. "With the climate changes going on now, it's very important to keep up on changes and make sure data that's collected is accurate."

For more information about the program, visit the national Web site at www.cocorahs.org or the state site at www.cocorahs.org/state.aspx?state=ny.