Spotters help Weather Service with Tea Fire area warning

[Rick]

DAVE MASON, NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER January 4, 2009 6:56 AM

Satellites and radar aren't enough.

The National Weather Service still depends on reports from volunteers who look outside and see how much it's raining or how fast the wind is blowing, said Curt Kaplan, a forecaster at the Oxnard office.

In fact, the weather service used information from the volunteers, called "spotters," in Santa Barbara during the mid-December rains. Those details, along with radar information, led the weather service to issue flash-flood warnings for debris flow in the Tea Fire burn area, Mr. Kaplan, 49, said by phone from Oxnard. After the warnings were issued, Montecito, Santa Barbara and Goleta spotters continued to give the weather service useful information such as road closures, Mr. Kaplan said.

Mr. Kaplan came to Goleta after the Tea Fire to give a presentation on the spotter program, and seven volunteers immediately signed up. Since then, another 10 from Santa Barbara County have joined online at the weather service's Web site.

There are no deadlines for people to become spotters, and they can receive instruction online, Mr. Kaplan said. To take the spotter instruction course, go to www.wrh.noaa.gov/lox/spotter/course.

Within a week after passing a short test online, spotters will get a packet of information in the mail. They also will get a spotter ID number and access to a toll-free phone line to make reports, Mr. Kaplan said.

The forecaster noted Santa Barbara County has 108 spotters; Ventura County, 153; San Luis Obispo County, 102; and Los Angeles County, 425. Those are the four counties served by the Oxnard office of the National Weather Service.

That's a lot of volunteers in an age when TV weather forecasters talk about the latest information from satellites. But Mr. Kaplan said human eyes are still needed.

"The problem with radar and satellites is that there are a lot of holes," Mr. Kaplan said. "We need some ground truths."

Radar provides valuable information, but mountains, other terrain and atmospheric conditions can cause interference, Mr. Kaplan said.

And while satellites show the big picture for details such as clouds, spotters are needed for local conditions, he said.

"We're always looking for weather spotters. They work very well," Mr. Kaplan said, noting that some contact his office through their amateur radio sets.

"Some spotters have weather stations; others just have a gauge. Others don't have anything," Mr. Kaplan said. Weather stations are arrays of devices that measure rain, temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and wind.

The weather service doesn't require spotters to have any equipment.

Mr. Kaplan explained that visual clues, such as how much the wind is blowing a tree, can be helpful.

Many spotters are retired; the volunteers range from middle age to senior citizens, Mr. Kaplan said. "We also have kids who want to be future meteorologists."

He said he calls spotters to thank them and sends them the weather service's newsletter.

For more information call Mr. Kaplan at 988-6615, ext. 461, or E-mail him at [e-mail].

e-mail: [e-mail]