I will agree with what everyone has said thus far, especially Jeff. I did quite a bit of nowcasting between 2003 and 2006. I didn't get to last year because of my less flexible schedule. But I must say I really do enjoy it, despite it being very stressful and the work load heavy. I actually like the responsibility that goes with the territory and having chasers in the field to assist gives me a sense of purpose in monitoring the data all afternoon and evening. If I'm free, I'm going to be here at my work station anyway monitoring everything that's happening. So my attitude is that I might as well offer assistance to those who may need it. I mean hey, if I can't be out there in it myself, then the next best thing is to perhaps be able to help someone else see tornadoes.
While I'm not (nor likely ever will be) as capable of giving Tim Vasquez quality chase hotline info, I do feel I was a decent nowcaster. I always made it clear that if I agreed to help someone on a given day that I would be there for them without interruption for the duration of the event, however long that might be. I recall some days where I started as early as 9AM and stayed with the task until 11PM that night. But I always kept my word and made sure that I was 100% reliable. No exceptions.
However, I did do one thing differently than many nowcasters. I never, I repeat NEVER tried to get involved in the decision making process outside simply offering my own thoughts and observations. There is a tendency when looking at radar or other types of data to call people up and try to steer them in one direction or another. The same applies to chase targets. I would certainly offer any suggestions and relevant data I had available to me. But I would always let the chaser on the other end make the decision about how he/she used that information. Ultimately, that is their responsibility, not mine. That is also the one area of responsibility that I do not want. I am not going to try to talk you out of a target you've pinned down. How would I feel if I steered you to the area I personally favored, then you missed a tornado as a direct result? I just don't do that. I'll share the data with you. I'll even offer my opinion about the situation. But I am just going to be a provider of information. You can use your own judgment and experience to do with that information whatever you want.
The one area where I will stray a bit from the above policy is when I see a dangerous situation developing. If that happens, I may be a bit more "pushy" when relaying info and suggestions to you. But still, that is ultimately your responsibility as well. I am only looking at the storm via radar. The chaser is right there, eyeballing it. There's situations where the person on the other end is simply going to be better informed than I am about certain things.
Again, nowcasting isn't for everyone. It can be stressful. That's especially true of storms at night in close proximity to your chaser when you lose the ability to communicate with them temporarily, which is a given with cell phone coverage gaps. It's also tiring. You wouldn't think sitting at a desk all day sounds like much work until you actually do it and realize all the while just how serious your task is. You have to be able to concentrate and not lose that concentration for one second. And being able to perform several tasks simultaneously is critical. So as Bob said, that may mean you don't get anything to eat after breakfast until late that night on the more busy days.
But despite trying to stay on top of chaotic situations for hours on end, it's still a rewarding experience, at least for me. Where I live and with my schedule, I don't get the opportunity to get out and experience the storms directly as often as I'd like. But I still have this tremendous passion for studying severe weather and being able to somehow apply that knowledge in a helpful manner. For me, that involves nowcasting. As Shane pointed out, there isn't much glory involved with being a nowcaster. You're definitely a behind the scenes guy (or gal) in the process. But that's ok. Sometimes in order to make things happen, it takes a complete team effort. Look at NASCAR race teams. The driver, owner and crew chief get all the attention and praise. But it's the behind the scenes guys like the engine builders, fabricators, tire carriers and jack men who have as much of a role in the ultimate success or failure of that team as the driver. So knowing your role in the big picture and being able to realize the difference your contributions make to the effort is to me reward enough. That said, a "thank you" or a copy of the video shot that day is nice. And everyone I have ever nowcasted for has offered both in abundance, especially Bob, Craig and Angie (thanks guys and gal!) who I have nowcasted for more than any other chasers. But doing that isn't even something I will demand beforehand. LOL. I just want to be involved in a meaningful way, to help make a chaser's day a little less stressful and hopefully help them to witness one or more tornadoes. Being able to do that is to me the ultimate satisfaction. And again, I don't feel the least bit "used" by anyone who calls asking for some info. It's very much a two way street. I give them info they don't have access to at the moment. And if I do my job well enough, then they eventually provide me with video of the storm or tornado I was not able to witness in person. That seems like a win-win for everyone involved. And if nothing else, the process has allowed me to become closer friends with people I have never even met in person. I've had people call me during chase events while they were sitting in some isolated area on a farm market road, bored beyond description, waiting for the cap to break. So you can get to have some enjoyable and more light-hearted conversations even on the crazy busy days. So despite serving a serious purpose, nowcasting can also be quite enjoyable in other ways. It just depends on your personality traits as to whether or not you are particularly well suited to nowcasting. I know some people who don't even want to hear about what the weather is doing if they are unable to chase themselves that day, much less be heavily involved with nowcasting. And that's ok too. I can totally understand that. And some people simply don't have the patience or attention span to be good nowcasters. And that's ok too. We all have our strengths, weaknesses and limitations.
But I do hope I can get back in the game on at least a semi-regular basis this Spring. I missed being able to help last season. But I have used what time I have had over the past year to educate myself even more about severe weather and hopefully that will directly translate into making me better at the task than I've ever been before.
