[BARC-List] Bill N1VUX, SKYWARN, in the February 1, Boston Globe

[Arthur N1NHZ]

Copied from:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/02/01/low_tech_=
spotter_scans_the_skies_alert_to_danger/
The following appeared on Boston.com:
Headline: Low-tech spotter scans the skies, alert to danger
Date: 2/1/2004

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Low-tech spotter scans the skies, alert to danger
By Chris Berdik, Globe Correspondent, 2/1/2004

      By day, Bill Ricker of Dorchester maintains the computer system of a=
=20
Boston financial institution. But whether at work, or at home, or on the=20
road, he always has one eye on the sky, watching for danger.

      Ricker is trained to spot cloud formations that warn of approaching=20
severe thunderstorms, and to gauge the speed and direction of dangerous=20
winds, the size of hail, and the possibility of flooding during heavy=20
rains. The National Weather Service counts on Ricker and about 3,800 other=
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volunteer "spotters" across the state to help them track the weather when=20
things get nasty.

      At 45, Ricker has been doing this for the past seven years. He'd been=
=20
an active amateur "ham" radio operator before that, as are about one-third=
=20
of the state's spotters, and one day found himself filling in at an=20
emergency radio relay as a hurricane approached the Massachusetts coast.

      "From that point on, I was recruited," jokes Ricker, who then=20
attended a three-hour training where he learned such things as how to spot=
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the "roll cloud" of a severe thunderstorm, how to estimate wind speed by=20
what debris litters the road, and how to properly measure and report on=20
snow accumulation.

      He was then given an identification number, and his latitude and=20
longitude were entered into the Weather Service's spotter network. While=20
many spotters use their own wind and rain gauges, they aren't issued any=20
gear and principally rely on their own eyes -- with the possible addition=20
of a ruler during snowstorms. Volunteers are advised to measure snow=20
accumulation on a raised piece of plywood set off in an open area. Ricker,=
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though, finds his driveway works perfectly well for the task.

      If a winter storm gets particularly intense, Ricker might issue a=20
"roll call" of all the "hams" in the area and have them check in with=20
condition updates every hour, information that Ricker then consolidates and=
=20
passes on to the Weather Service. But often, the weather-watching network=20
is a lot less formal. To check on an area of West Roxbury that's prone to=20
wind damage, for instance, Ricker notes, "If I can get my guy down there to=
=20
go and check while he's walking the dog, usually that'll do the trick."

      As low-tech as things may sometimes be among the spotters, they are=20
essential for verifying what radar images make meteorologists suspect, and=
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for helping increase the lead time residents can be given of dangerous=20
weather, says Glenn Field, the National Weather Service meteorologist who=20
runs the spotter program in Massachusetts. "That man-machine mix is really=
=20
the best," says Field, who adds that for severe thunderstorms, the state's=
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current lead time averages about 17 minutes.

        Ricker adds that his radio network can communicate during storms=20
that knock out other communication systems, such as telephones. So he makes=
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a point of trying to keep his radio with him wherever he goes. Basically,=20
says Ricker, "I spot wherever I am."

      The next Boston training for NWS weather spotters will be at the=20
Museum of Science on June 7. For more information, go to=20
www.erh.noaa.gov/box/skywarnobs.htm.

=A9 Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
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de Arthur  N1NHZ, 73
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