at
The National Hurricane Center
What is an ON-NHC weather volunteer and how do I become one and why.
"Can I help? I'm not a radio amateur but I have a home weather station and I am interested in weather"
This is a good question that we get asked quite often and the answer is YES.
WX4NHC maintains a large network of weather enthusiasts like you who are NOT radio amateurs but who have purchased a weather station and who are interested in providing weather data to the National Hurricane Center when a hurricane is approaching your area.
Because there are very few "official" weather stations , the National Hurricane Center (NHC) knows the information you provide could be critical to its forecasters, to the people in your community and to those along the future track of a tropical storm or hurricane. This has been the case many times in the past. In Hurricane Andrew, for example, one special observer provided the highest known surface wind speed for that storm (177 mph), while others observed a central pressure (922 mb or 27.2 inches) that was 10 mb lower than what was expected from the official source (even from reconnaissance aircraft !).
The NHC has particular interest in wind speed (anemometer) and pressure (barometer) data. Your contribution will have the greatest impact if it is sent during the storm (without putting yourself in danger !).
It can be forwarded on the Hurricane On-Line Report form.
This data is also important to the NHC even if it can't be sent immediately. The NHC reanalyzes every storm after it ends and very often revises its earlier estimates. The data form found on the WX4NHC main menu shows the kind of data that is the most important to the NHC. From previous storms, the NHC, and its sister agency the Hurricane Research Division, have found that several considerations can help improve the reliability of the data.
Sign up to join the ON-NHC weather volunteer Observer Network. click here
The Volunteers at WX4NHC thank you for joining the Weather Volunteer Observers Network of the National Hurricane Center (ON-NHC).
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