We live in a world where there's a wealth of weather information available for virtually any spot on the planet, but even in our Doppler radar society, there's nothing to match the value of actual human eyes on a storm.

That's what brought Jim Pringle of the National Weather Service to Eagle County last weekend.

As the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the Grand Junction office of the NWS, Pringle said forecasters still heavily depend on eyewitness reports of what is happening on the ground to validate what they see on computers. In the case of the Grand Junction office, that means having local observers reporting for a 53,000-square-mile section of Western Colorado and eastern Utah.

“That's a lot of real estate to forecast what is going on,” said Pringle.

On Saturday, Pringle conducted a Storm Spotter training session for 30 potential weather watcher volunteers. During the two-hour class, he presented information about how severe thunderstorms build and how to recognize conditions favorable to weather events such as tornados. He even shattered a myth or two — most notably pointing out that tornados can't happen in western Colorado. They are rare, but they can happen. In fact, since 1955 there have been three documented tornados in Eagle County.

The youngest person in the room was 11 years old. The oldest student was 82. Pringle's daughter, Lisa Figgs, and her husband, Matt, were among the attendees.

“It's the first time we have lived in his (Jim Pringle's) forecast area,” explained Matt.

Some of the attendees were seasoned weather enthusiasts. Others were new to the subject. All were welcome.

“We can always use more volunteer storm spotters. We can never have too many,” said Pringle. “I would rather have two or three people call us for one event than to have no one call.”

Storm spotters in action

When asked about an example of an important local storm spotter report, Pringle pointed to recent history. On July 31, the NWS had issued a flash flood warning for Eagle County. “Thirty-eight minutes later, we get the first report of a flash flood from Barry Smith, Eagle County Emergency Management Director, who is a storm spotter.”

Smith reported flooding along Gypsum Creek Road and water as high as eight feet on a side road. Pringle noted that is the actual, eyes-on-the-ground-type of information that the NWS needs.

The agency learned that lesson in dramatic fashion back in 1976 with the Big Thompson Flood. When a wall of water crashed down the Big Thompson Canyon, warning systems were found lacking and 144 people died.

“In Colorado, obtaining valuable storm spotter participation on the Front Range became a high priority after that event occurred,” said Pringle. As a result, the state's storm spotter corps was launched in 1977 and for the past 34 years volunteers have been tracing Colorado weather conditions and reporting to the National Weather Service.

Flash flood and severe thunderstorms are the most-watched events in western Colorado, but storm spotters also contribute valuable reports about snow conditions.

“It's not like its imminently life-threatening with snow, but if people aren't paying attention, they can get into trouble,” said Pringle.

Pringle noted that weather generally doesn't carry the life-threatening wallop in western Colorado that it does in other parts of the country.

“When we conduct storm spotter training in communities located along tornado alley in the Midwest, towns with only 150 residents will have 100 people at a training. It's a much bigger deal when your life is regularly threatened by weather,” he said.

“When we get a turnout of 30 people in Eagle County, we feel like its a great thing,” Pringle said.

Saturday's potential spotters included 11-year-old Megan Rathsberg, a sixth-grader from Gypsum Creek Middle School. She attended the session with her father, Ray. “I wanted her to learn more about weather, about lightning and the other types of severe weather in the area,” said Ray. He noted that he and his daughter generally enjoy following changing weather conditions.

Pringle admitted that weather geeks — or “weather enthusiasts,” as he prefers to call them — are often attracted to storm spotter or Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) volunteer duties.

“Some people, like myself, have an utter fascination with weather,” he said.

Barb Suits, 82, of Parachute certainly fits that description. She attended Saturday's session as a refresher course.

“I am a weather nut,” she said. “I am taking a course right now on meteorology.”

Suits said her father was a weather enthusiast and she picked up on his passion. She can watch clouds for hours, marveling at their beauty and watching for potential trouble.

“I have the cloud identification chart right by my phone. It is pasted on the wall,” said Suits.

Last January, Suits retired from the U.S. Forest Service and she figures she now has some extra time to spend storm spotting. In addition to cloud watching, she has lots of weather measurement equipment including thermometers, barometers, rain gauges and wind instruments.

“Weather happens to be one of the most interesting things there is,” she said.

More information about the volunteer NWS storm spotter and SKYWARN (mobile amateur radio storm spotter) programs can be found at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/gjt/?n=spotter and http://www.weather.gov/SKYWARN/.

More information about the Community Collaborate Rain Hail & Snow Network can be found at http://www.cocorahs.org/.

Spotter Reporting Procedures

Effective spotter reports are a critical component of NWS severe weather operations. NWS meteorologists use science, technology, training, experience, and spotter reports when making warning decisions.

An effective spotter report is one that is timely, accurate, and detailed. Spotters should use the following guidelines when reporting:

General information..

• Who you are: Trained spotter

• What you have witnessed: The specific weather event

• When the event occurred: Not when you make your report

• Where the event occurred, (not necessarily your location) using well known roads or landmarks

• Immediate, real-time reports, are most helpful for warning operations, but delayed reports are also important, even days after an event. Delayed reports are used for climatological and verification purposes.

Tornadoes..

• What damage did you observe?

• How long was it on the ground? When did it start and end?

• How wide was it? How far did it travel?

Flash Flooding..

• Report flooded roadways, rivers and streams, giving approximate water depth.

• Does the flooding consist of standing water or is it flowing?

• Is the water level continuing to rise, staying steady or falling?

• Is the flooding occurring in a known flood-prone area?

• Any damage from the flooding or mud slides?

Wall Clouds..

• Report if clouds are rotating and how long they have existed.

Funnel Clouds..

• Watch for origination, persistence and rotation.

Lightning..

• Only report lightning when damage or injuries occur.

Winter Weather..

• Report any occurrence of freezing rains, ice accumulation and damage.

• How much heavy snow accumulation is there and is there any damage?

• Do blizzard conditions exist? (Winds 35 mph or more AND visibility of 1.4 mile or less)

Wind..

• Report estimated or measured wind speed and wind damage.

• Wind speed estimation is difficult. A detailed description of moving objects or damage is often more useful.

• Details to submit for tree damage:

— What is the height and diameter of the branch, limb or tree that was broken or blown down?

— Was the tree healthy or decayed?

— What type of tree was damaged, e.g., hardwood or softwood?

• Details to submit for damage to structures.

— Is the damage to a well-built structure or a weak outbuilding?

— What is the main building material for the structure: wood, brick, metal, concrete, etc.?

—If the structure is a mobile home, was it anchored down?

Hail..

• Report the size of the largest stone and any damage.

• To estimate size, compare hail to well known objects such as coins or balls, but not to marbles, or measure the hail with a ruler.

A bit of lightning advice ...

Because we live in the Colorado high country, lightning is a disproportionately higher danger for local residents.

Jim Pringle, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service Grand Junction office, notes that Colorado consistently ranks in the top 10 states for lightning deaths, even though the state does not record as many lighting strikes as other areas of the country.

“Lightning kills more people in the western United State than any other weather force,” he said.

There are an estimated 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in the U.S. each year. While the National Weather Service issues severe thunderstorm watches and warnings for storms that produce damaging wind or hail, watches and warnings are not issued for lightning. When you hear thunder, there is an immediate lightning danger. A good rule of thumb for determining how far away a strike hit is to count the number of seconds between the visible lightning flash and the sound of thunder. Divide that number by 5 and the result is the approximate number of miles between you and the strike.

Pringle notes that the active, outdoor lifestyle that Colorado residents enjoy is likely the culprit behind the state's high lightning death statistics. He offered a few lightning safety tips:

• There is no safe place outside in a thunderstorm. Plan ahead to avoid this dangerous situation. If you're outside and hear thunder, the only way to significantly reduce your risk of becoming a lightning casualty is to get inside a substantial building or hard-topped metal vehicle as fast as you can.

• Avoid open areas. Don't be the tallest object in the area.

• Stay away from isolated tall trees, towers or utility poles. Lightning tends to strike the taller objects in an area.

• Stay away from metal conductors such as wires or fences. Metal does not attract lightning, but lightning can travel long distances through it.

• If you are with a group of people, spread out. While this actually increases the chance that someone might get struck, it tends to prevent multiple casualties, and increases the chances that someone could help if a person is struck.

• Act fast if someone is struck by lightning. Lightning victims do not carry an electrical charge, are safe to touch, and need urgent medical attention. Cardiac arrest is the immediate cause of death for those who die. Some deaths can be prevented if the victim receives the proper first aid immediately. Do not delay CPR if the person is unresponsive or not breathing. Use an Automatic External Defibrillator if one is available. If possible, move the victim to a safer place. Lightning can strike twice. Don't become a victim.

• Do not return outside until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike.