NWSchat.... joining??

[Brian R.]

I would like to join the NWS chat being based in Chicago Illinois area, our forecast office is LOT, as I am typically one of very few of our ARES members who actively go out in the field during warnings to actually go after the storm, and of course make myself available to assist in the aftermath if need be, having multiple certifications including the FEMA ics 100,200,700,800 and haz mat and CERT training.

 

[Levi Mol]

That a great question, the best advise is check this page out. https://www.weather.gov/media/ewx/iwt/NWSChat_Flyer.pdf

 

[Randy Jennings]

Getting access to NWS Chat is up to your local office WCM. You would have to contact them. Chasers and Spotters are generally not allowed to have NWS Chat access, but many offices do allow ARES/RACES leadership and in some cases Skywarn net controllers access. Bottom line is it is up to WCM and local office policy.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I used to have access and found it to be a great tool. They moved to Slack last year and their requirements seem a lot more stringent since I originally signed up. Was not able to get in post migration.

Anyway, there isn't really opportunities for chaser types to get on there unless they are part of a Skywarn team or otherwise apart of emergency management.

 

[Kyle Soldani]

Brian, post migration as Ben said - it's pretty difficult to get on. I had to get a reference from the TOP WCM who I've known for years so ICT would grant access as fire. In your case, best bet will probably be the ARES route. I've seen a couple in there with HAM tags so that seems to be an option still.

A word of caution, rarely post in there. Just about the only criteria I will post is a developing, ongoing tornado or if there is a specific request for visual on a storm. Beyond that, I stay out and monitor. I suspect all of the erroneous reports in NWSChat prior is why they're tightening things down. That said, I'd much rather have a Ben Holcomb reporting than some firefighters/LEO I know... but I digress.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I originally had access pre-migration due to ARES affiliation but was easily approved post-migration due to bona fide media affiliation since 2019. Post-migration to Slack I was told by a close friend who is a NWS met that they were instructed to crack down on access being requested via HAM and academia, for example, since those are looser affiliations and harder to verify than media and public safety affiliations. There were problems with people getting in under the old system as hams, who were basically chasers with ham radio licenses, and some of them were booted for using local chatrooms to ask chasing-related questions (I was in the EAX chat when this happened in real time once). I won't regurgitate what others said but, if you don't work closely with the local office on a regular basis in an official capacity relative to your ARES or RACES affiliation (e.g., a net control operator), then just checking the "I am a ham radio operator/RACES/ARES" box with no know actual street credit is unlikely to work anymore. They're generally only wanting net control operators and those who regularly work closely with the NWS to have access (so I am told, I do not work for the NWS).

Something new for the Slack migration is a biannual email verification, so when you sign up with your official email, e.g., WAND-TV account or EMA.org account they will send an email every 6 months requiring verification that the email address is still associated with and active as an account at said organization. This is likely designed to prevent those no longer possessing the credentials to remain affiliated with the Slack/chat service to be purged as necessary.

From the Terms of Use page (note that the old amateur radio category as a stand-alone option is gone):

a. Be a member of the emergency management (EM) community.

NWS defines the EM community as Public safety officials who serve as employees or contract agents of a government agency at the federal,
state, local, tribal, or territorial level and are charged with protecting the public from hazards that are influenced by weather
or weather-related events. In select cases, with approval of NWS local management and as resources allow, NWS may provide similar
support for organizations which are not formally government agencies, but which employ personnel who routinely exercise authority
equivalent to the public safety officials described above, particularly those who serve vulnerable populations. Examples include the
emergency management function of primary/secondary schools, colleges/universities, and hospitals/long-term care facilities. With
approval of NWS management, NWS offices providing Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) may extend support to these
organizations. Other members of this community include local SKYWARN® Coordinators and Net Control Operators, and others who
serve in these capacities, such as Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES).

 

[Brian R.]

Actually by them requiring you to be a net control operator is grounds for a lawsuit. The NWS is blocking access to information that could be very beneficial to a chaser as far as finding the "ground zero" target area for the days chase, for video purposes. My ARES group will request access for me if and only if I do the net control operator training and act as net control operator for a minimum of 2 skywarn nets and that is probably 2 within a certain time period. I would like to know how one is supposed to be net control during a severe weather (chase) when out in pursuit of the storm to be able to do a "ground zero" interception..... Kinda difficult to be net control and logging information while in pursuit of storms in unknown areas. I can likely get access to it by having a local police district commander request access for me, which I will do if the emergency coordinator insists on the requirements of being net control, kinda defeats the purpose. First of all that would require additional training and education, to act as net control, and will also defeat the purpose of getting the "privileged" information to determine if you want to travel well outside of your own area, and also eliminates being actually in pursuit of a storm for a "ground zero" intercept if storms occur and you are scheduled to run the local skywarn net as it would be impossible to be in pursuit of a storm and be taking net check ins and logging check ins and storm reports being out in pursuit of a storm in your vehicle, but instead be forced to be a spotter in a sheltered location instead of getting the "ground zero " intercept.

 

[Jesse Risley]

Actually by them requiring you to be a net control operator is grounds for a lawsuit. The NWS is blocking access to information that could be very beneficial to a chaser as far as finding the "ground zero" target area for the days chase, for video purposes. My ARES group will request access for me if and only if I do the net control operator training and act as net control operator for a minimum of 2 skywarn nets and that is probably 2 within a certain time period. I would like to know how one is supposed to be net control during a severe weather (chase) when out in pursuit of the storm to be able to do a "ground zero" interception..... Kinda difficult to be net control and logging information while in pursuit of storms in unknown areas. I can likely get access to it by having a local police district commander request access for me, which I will do if the emergency coordinator insists on the requirements of being net control, kinda defeats the purpose. First of all that would require additional training and education, to act as net control, and will also defeat the purpose of getting the "privileged" information to determine if you want to travel well outside of your own area, and also eliminates being actually in pursuit of a storm for a "ground zero" intercept if storms occur and you are scheduled to run the local skywarn net as it would be impossible to be in pursuit of a storm and be taking net check ins and logging check ins and storm reports being out in pursuit of a storm in your vehicle, but instead be forced to be a spotter in a sheltered location instead of getting the "ground zero " intercept.

You can pursue a private legal tort but I see no avenue for that being successful. The NWS is under no legal obligation to permit entry to net control operators because all of the information necessary for public dissemination is already provided via the public watch, warning and advisory process. It's essentially a rather limited 'public forum' (see definitions of open, limited and closed public forums where First Amendment litigation is concerned) as there are sensitivity issues. NWS Chat is NOT intended for storm chasers. That's pretty well established in the TOS. They choose who to let in depending on that person's association with NWS activities. I don't see what damages or redress of damages you would seek in a private tort.

 

[Brian R.]

You are missing the point. They are making it much more difficult to know where the area of greatest concern may be so I can know where ground zero is, and get the ground zero intercept video. I had news chat when I was in Texas, and that's how I was able to get almost ground zero interception of Moore Oklahoma in 2013 being less than a quarter mile from it, same with El Reno. Moved back to Chicago and now they think they have the authority to control who can have access to that information, mainly to limit people from intentionally being in the direct path for purposes of live streaming video and being able to get top dollar for that video. Moved back to Illinois and if I had NWS chat I would have gotten the Washington Illinois tornado at ground zero instead of being 3 miles away. They do not have the authority to control who has access to that information based on training and affiliation. Perfect example is the Sulphur Oklahoma event this year, if I had the inside information I would definitely have blasted out there from Chicago to intercept it. Having to actually do analysis of your own, and rely on outlook map areas limit the ability to be at ground zero in high end events, and that is not their authority.No agency has that authority especially a federal agency

 

[Jesse Risley]

You are missing the point. They are making it much more difficult to know where the area of greatest concern may be so I can know where ground zero is, and get the ground zero intercept video. I had news chat when I was in Texas, and that's how I was able to get almost ground zero interception of Moore Oklahoma in 2013 being less than a quarter mile from it, same with El Reno. Moved back to Chicago and now they think they have the authority to control who can have access to that information, mainly to limit people from intentionally being in the direct path for purposes of live streaming video and being able to get top dollar for that video. Moved back to Illinois and if I had NWS chat I would have gotten the Washington Illinois tornado at ground zero instead of being 3 miles away. They do not have the authority to control who has access to that information based on training and affiliation. Perfect example is the Sulphur Oklahoma event this year, if I had the inside information I would definitely have blasted out there from Chicago to intercept it. Having to actually do analysis of your own, and rely on outlook map areas limit the ability to be at ground zero in high end events, and that is not their authority.No agency has that authority especially a federal agency

NWS chat is NOT designed as a tool for those in the field chasing to use to intercept tornadoes. Very few chasers have it and they still successfully intercept plenty of tornadoes. They do have the authority that you decry. Sorry, but based on what you've stated here your account was one of those purged and not granted access under the new system because your use is not commensurate with the intended purpose of NWS chat.

 

[Brian R.]

And I will pull rank and have a friend of mine who is a commander for a police district in Chicago to get me access. They have no right to make me have to do further education or stay in my own area and not add to the risk levels. it is my truck and my fuel money, plus I have a badge

 

[Kyle Soldani]

... well, I think we've established why the requirements were tightened.

 

[Brian R.]

There is no level of risk that is too great for me. I have many times taken my boat out in Lake Michigan off of Chicago to video the extremely dangerous water conditions and storms even when advised not to by the police marine unit. again it is my boat, my fuel and my choice. extreme videos sell well, thrill seekers do not want to see boring.

 

[Kyle Soldani]

Are you just trolling at this point? I think we've gone off the rails in this thread.

 

[Jeff Smith]

If you need to rely on someone else (NWS) to provide you an avenue to get your "ground zero" shot, then you have bigger problems than getting access to the NWS chat.

 

[Brian R.]

I can find the areas I want to target, but much easier and faster to read what others are saying and then jump in the truck and blast down the highway to get in position.

 

[Kyle Soldani]

You can let that upset you all you want to, but that simply isn't want NWSChat is designed and implemented for. It won't change.

 

[Jesse Risley]

I can find the areas I want to target, but much easier and faster to read what others are saying and then jump in the truck and blast down the highway to get in position.

Based on your posts in this thread you are not imminently qualified to participate. You're stating that you are using the service for your own personal gain to garner extreme video footage. That's specifically a prohibited type of conduct in the TOS that I linked earlier. Granted, the NWS can make those decisions as I have no direct dog in that fight. However, unless you can show a close working affiliation with the local emergency management you're not likely to garner approval.

I think your question has been answered here so I am going to lock this thread.