How to be a marine weather spotter

How To Be A Marine Weather Spotter

Do you work or live on the water? Do you find a fascination with the weather and the ocean? Would you like to provide a valuable service to your marine community? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then you may interested in the National Weather Service Marine Weather Spotter Program.

The Florida Keys National Weather Service is asking recreational and commercial boaters to volunteer as Marine Weather Spotters. Spotters will be provided with basic marine weather training and issued a spotter identification card. Spotters will be asked to report significant weather and ocean conditions directly to National Weather Service meteorologists in Key West. In addition, spotters may be called upon occasionally to provide 'on the spot' weather reports. Information regarding events such as waterspouts, thunderstorms, fog, strong winds and currents, high tides, and rough seas can be passed on to the National Weather Service.

Marine Weather Spotters help serve as the 'eyes and ears' of National Weather Service forecasters, complementing weather and ocean observations gathered from sources such as lighthouse stations, buoys, satellites, and Doppler radar. As a result, the reports from spotters help improve marine weather forecasts and warnings for the entire marine community!

For more information on our growing marine weather spotter network, e-mail kennard.kasper@noaa.gov or call (305) 295-1316.