How Are National Weather Service Storm Reports Used?
For many years, the National Weather Service (NWS) has relied on spotter/public storm reports to help in the issuing of critical weather statements, verifying warnings and advisories, and to document the impacts of weather on life and property. In recent years, posts on Facebook and Twitter which contain photos or videos have helped to streamline the event verification process across northeast California and western Nevada. Remember, "a picture (or video) is worth a thousand words!" So...what are some of the ways NWS storm reports are used and distributed? Most immediately, storm reports help NWS forecasters decide whether to update the forecast or issue a statement... as can be seen from the Area Forecast Discussion below. A second use for storm/spotter reports is verification of National Weather Service watches and warnings. Below is a map with NWS warnings (red boxes) overlaid with storm reports. Besides helping forecasters glean whether or not warnings w