(Courtesy/permission of Kathy Ciotola and the Gainesville Sun 
Editor.  This appeared on the front page of the "Local" section 
of the Gainesville Sun, Sept. 02, 2000.  -Todd)

CLASS TRAINS GROUP TO SPOT BAD WEATHER

o Volunteers see things radar doesn't pick up

  Florida is fast becoming a state of eyes on the skies.
  Every year, weather fans learn how to watch the clouds for 
severe weather in a class that trains residents to become 
"spotters." About 50 people attended the latest class Thursday 
night, held at Alachua County Fire Rescue headquarters in Gainesville.
  Those students are now officially spotters, who keep an eye on 
the weather in their neighborhoods and warn the National Weather 
Service when they see severe weather.
  They are volunteers who see what the radar can't and go where 
meteorologists don't have the manpower to go.
  "We're the eyes or ears for the weather service," said Jim Carr, 
storm spotter and volunteer for ACFR. "People are trained as the 
first line of defense."
  Carr and his wife are both spotters and also videotape severe weather.
  Weather radar can't detect weather below about 2,000 feet, said 
class coordinator Todd Sherman of Gainesville.
  "That's important because that's where the funnel cloud is going 
to appear," Sherman said.
  The weather service relies on people who have some level of 
training to pick severe storms out of the multitude of weather 
phenomena that Florida gets. 
  Training helps spotters tell the difference between tornadoes 
and heavy rain streaks or down bursts.
  Spotter students chuckled in surprise as National Weather 
Service meteorologist Al Sandrik told them what looked a lot like 
a photo of a tornado was actually a cloud of smoke being drawn up 
into a thunderstorm.
  And yet seemingly innocent clouds can show signs of becoming 
severe weather that most people wouldn't notice, Sandrik said.
  Weather spotting programs have been around for decades, but 
traditionally, spotters have been involved in ham radio, which 
allows constant communication with other spotters, Carr said. But 
the advent of cell phones makes it practical for anyone to be a 
spotter, Carr said.
  Alachua County's program started about two years ago when 
Sherman saw what appeared to be a funnel cloud from his back yard.
  "I was watching a gust front go by, and I was videotaping it," 
Sherman said. "I saw a funnel cloud, and I wasn't sure what it 
was; and I wondered if I should report it."
  Sherman took his video to the National Weather Service, which 
confirmed the cloud was a funnel, and soon the talk turned to 
starting a spotter group in Alachua County.
  Since then, about 200 people have been trained as spotters.
  But spotting is not the same as storm chasing — the dangerous 
activity seen in the movie "Twister." Chasing is a dangerous 
activity that requires extensive training, and spotters must 
consider their personal safety above everything, Sandrik emphasized.
  And while watching the skies is exciting, the primary goal is 
community service, Carr said. 
  But the love of weather starts early in many cases.
  Seventh-grader Daniel Franklin said he has been interested in 
weather as long as he can remember and would like to be a storm 
chaser someday.
  Franklin, a student at Howard Bishop, said above all, he wants 
to help people avoid danger.
  "Ever since I've read, I've been interested in storms," Daniel 
said. "Now I hope to help people."