Frequently Asked Questions - Page

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NWS State College offering Job Shadows for Summer & Fall 2025

How do I get a volunteer position with the National Weather Service ??
- We offer college students the opportunity to volunteer their time during the year. There is usually quite a bit of competition for any student volunteer positions at NWS State College. There are deadlines for application to positions for upcoming semesters/seasons. Due to staffing constraints we limit the number of volunteers and the amount of hours they work. We are an operational office and must maintain a work environment, often with limited staffing. See this page for the most-current information.
How do I become a paid intern (Pathways) with the National Weather Service ??
- There are opportunities for student intern positions with Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs). The Pathways program is an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable experience in a National Weather Service office and help build a Weather-Ready Nation.
- Most forecast and management positions (anything higher than an entry-level internship) require both a Bachelor's Degree in Meteorology and experience equal to the next lower grade of Federal Service. There are also electronics and computer analyst positions available in the Weather Service, which have varying requirements. I suggest checking the web sites below for further/more detailed information.
- http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oeodm/eeo/studentresearchopportunities.php
- Here are some other government job web sites. By reading the description of the position and how to apply sections, you may get a better idea of the qualifications and expectations of different positions.
  https://www.weather.gov/careers.php (NWS Careers Page)
  https://www.usajobs.gov (All Federal Government Jobs)

Where can I find past weather conditions for (name of town) on (date in question) ?
- The hourly observations are not fully quality-controlled on our site, but are available by clicking on the map on our front page near where you are concerned about. This will bring up a page with current observations and the forecast for the location you clicked. You can check the "3 Day History" of the observations using the link to the right of the current observation.
- First, Check our Climatology Page, which is full of fantastic information for our two first-order climatological stations (Harrisburg and Williamsport), and our Co-Operative Observing sites (45 across Central PA). Check those pages, especially the NOWData Tab.
  
  Second, (if you are looking for information about Pennsylvania) Check with the PA State Climatologist, Mr. Kyle Imhoff. Kyle and his staff can usually find answers to most PA-specific questions.
  web: https://climate.psu.edu/
  phone: (814)865-8732 fax:(814)865-3663
  
  If you cannot find the answer there, the next step is to contact the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) in Asheville, NC. NCEI stores ALL weather information recorded across the US and it's territories since the 1800's. They (NCEI) quality control the data and publish it in various forms (a monthly summary is the most common form). They also certify the data for use in court, as well - the preliminary information available from our website is NOT permissable in court. NCEI's phone #: (828) 271-4800.
How do I become a Skywarn Spotter?
- We ask our SkyWarn Spotters to receive weather spotter training and safety information during informational sessions, normally conducted by the local NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM), and Forecasters. These training sessions are usually conducted in the Spring and Summer months, in anticipation of the climatological Severe Weather Season.
Your forecasts/products seem old. Why???
- We utilize links to various other NWS sources to display our current text forecasts and summaries. Occasionally, these various sources are taken down (due to circumstances beyond our control) for maintenance. During these times, the data will appear old. To ensure that you are viewing the latest version of the file on the server, press the "RELOAD/REFRESH" button while holding down the "SHIFT" key to force your browser to grab the file from the server, and not your local disk cache. The information on our website is for casual use and informational purposes. Please read the NWS Internet Disclaimer.
When are Winter Weather Advisories and Warnings Issued?
- We have a detailed webpage that spells out the criteria that we expect to be met when we issue a Winter Storm Warning or Advisory.
What is the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD)?
- Just in case you were wondering, check out this webpage on the NDFD.