eSpotter

[Dan Cook]

Does anyone here use this service for reporting severe/winter weather? I signed up to a be a "snow spotter" for Davenport, and they told me that a good way to report things would be through eSpotter. So yesterday I filled out and sent a report for 2 inches of snow that fell, since they want all records of decent snowfall (1 inch+). As of now, I don't think they got it as it still wasn't "received" according to eSpotter.

Has anyone else used this? So far, I don't like it.

 

[Chris Geelhart]

Originally posted by Dan Cook
Does anyone here use this service for reporting severe/winter weather? I signed up to a be a \"snow spotter\" for Davenport, and they told me that a good way to report things would be through eSpotter. So yesterday I filled out and sent a report for 2 inches of snow that fell, since they want all records of decent snowfall (1 inch+). As of now, I don't think they got it as it still wasn't \"received\" according to eSpotter.

If I recall correctly, the "received" reference means that you have received messages FROM the NWS through eSpotter. NWS can broadcast messages through the system either to everyone logged on at the time, to certain counties, or to specific observers.

Chris G.

 

[John Farley]

I have used it for a couple years through the STL office, mostly for snow/winter weather reports or for delayed storm reports (as with a hailstorm at 2:00 a.m. in which I immediately phoned in the 1-inch hail at my home, later to find out that golfball hail, which had not been reported to NWS, had caused major damage a couple miles away. I made a delayed report of the larger hail and the damage, which was added to the LSR.)

I would NOT use this method of reporting in a time-urgent situation, i.e. when dangerous weather is occurring and a warning is needed, but it can be useful for verification/documentation purposes or for winter weather reports.