The next major feature implementation by the Stormtrack staff is live storm chasing commentary. We are aware that there is already a market owner on this, Ryan Hall. What we are proposing is a similar activity - a handful of Stormtrack folks performing live coverage of severe weather events, focusing on the chasing aspect.
How this would work: before a given event, a small group of volunteers would be identified. We would ask that people make themselves available for several hours at a time (likely beginning in mid-late afternoon and persisting into the early evening), although more than one person would be actively reporting at a given time. Imagine your typical media wall-to-wall coverage during a major severe weather event where one person is leading while being backed up by one or two others who are monitoring radar, environmental information, and social media for updates on conditions or happenings. This would be a similar thing, except again focusing more on the storm chasing aspect rather than the interests of the general public.
The staff is currently anticipating handling the majority of the load in 2024, as this project is in preliminary testing. We do not expect to cover every severe weather event between the Rockies and Appalachians from March-June. In fact, we may only do one event per week during the most active part of the season, unless the season is particularly active and we have a large roster of potential "on-air talent."
There are legal considerations associated with broadcasting live chasing streams. We have some inside information and permissions to access at least some of these streams and provide them for free, and that's what we plan to rely on for actual chasing streams. Otherwise expect in-depth analysis of current radar, current environment, and, if relevant, nowcasts from short-term/rapidly-updating NWP models such as WoFS.
In an effort to move this project forward, we are seeking information from interested potential participants to provide commentary. If you are interested, please fill out the Google form here. As the main chase season draws near and plans congeal, we will begin to notify those whom we select to participate.
Submitting a completed questionnaire does not guarantee a spot on any particular live session in 2024.
Link: Interest in live storm chasing commentary
How this would work: before a given event, a small group of volunteers would be identified. We would ask that people make themselves available for several hours at a time (likely beginning in mid-late afternoon and persisting into the early evening), although more than one person would be actively reporting at a given time. Imagine your typical media wall-to-wall coverage during a major severe weather event where one person is leading while being backed up by one or two others who are monitoring radar, environmental information, and social media for updates on conditions or happenings. This would be a similar thing, except again focusing more on the storm chasing aspect rather than the interests of the general public.
The staff is currently anticipating handling the majority of the load in 2024, as this project is in preliminary testing. We do not expect to cover every severe weather event between the Rockies and Appalachians from March-June. In fact, we may only do one event per week during the most active part of the season, unless the season is particularly active and we have a large roster of potential "on-air talent."
There are legal considerations associated with broadcasting live chasing streams. We have some inside information and permissions to access at least some of these streams and provide them for free, and that's what we plan to rely on for actual chasing streams. Otherwise expect in-depth analysis of current radar, current environment, and, if relevant, nowcasts from short-term/rapidly-updating NWP models such as WoFS.
In an effort to move this project forward, we are seeking information from interested potential participants to provide commentary. If you are interested, please fill out the Google form here. As the main chase season draws near and plans congeal, we will begin to notify those whom we select to participate.
Submitting a completed questionnaire does not guarantee a spot on any particular live session in 2024.
Link: Interest in live storm chasing commentary
