LEWISTON — Scott McMullin used to hear tales about his weather-watching father from World War II.
“He was in the Pacific,” McMullin said. “He told me stories about having to go and get the wind velocity during typhoons. It took two of them — one to hold the anemometer and one to hold my dad.”
Weather interested him early, too. “It was almost instilled,” he said.
For the last 15 years, McMullin has been a National Weather Service SKYWARN watcher, now the only one in Lewiston, watching the horizon for foul weather. He’s also a Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network volunteer, measuring precipitation.
He’s installed an anemometer, to measure wind speed, on the roof of his own ranch. Outside thermometers on the north and south sides of the house — “You’d be amazed at the variance in the different temperatures” — feed to sensor screens by his computer that tick off wind speed, wind chill and temp.
McMullin, 53, nailed a post into his backyard to hold a rain gauge that filled up two or three times during Tropical Storm Irene. A white plate next to it gives a sturdy base to measure snow. He reports his findings, when he has anything to report, via email once a day.
“He’s been a dedicated observer,” said Stacie Hanes, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray and CoCoRaHS Coordinator for Maine. “We don’t know until we hear from the ground troops. Really, the radar is great but it’s not all encompassing.”
McMullin, a longtime Maine Special Olympics volunteer who works at Procter & Gamble, likes that he has the chance to make a difference.
“I didn’t realize until I got into this how much what I register and report affects everything else,” he said. “Weather effects the forestry reports based on the amount of precipitation that’s been reported. They decide whether they should put a ban on fires, whether or not farmers have to irrigate.”
He’s a little nervous about this summer, particularly on the tornado front.
“(Michigan’s) tornado season doesn’t start until June,” McMullin said. Yet that state got hit with a devastating storm in March. “If it’s any indication, we are in serious trouble.”
He’ll keep his eyes peeled.
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The National Weather Service wants you.
It’s looking for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, volunteers.
State coordinator Stacie Hanes has about 125 active weather observers. She’d like one or more in every community. After an online training session, reporting takes about five minutes a day and helps scientists and other decision-makers.
For more information on getting involved with CoCoRaHS, 688-3216 or www.cocorahs.org
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- Scott McMullin of Lewiston is a severe weather spotter for the National Weather Service. The anemometer on the roof of his house measures wind speed and direction.
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- Scott McMullin of keeps a rain gauge behind his Lewiston home.
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