You've seen storm chasers and weather spotters featured on the local and national news. Plenty of times, right?

What is the definition of a storm chaser?  A storm chaser is defined as a person who pursues imminent or existing severe thunderstorms, for any reason, and operates independently or as part of a research effort.  Source

Ever wonder how you can become an official weather spotter for the National Weather Service?

Well, I did it. I became an NOAA weather spotter. Here's how I did it...

I think this is a great idea... especially in this day and age, where people are using cell phones like crazy. I mean, it's hard to find anyone who's not carrying a cell phone these days. Even kids carry cell phones everywhere they go!

So, for me, there is a small feeling of relief knowing that the FCC will soon be broadcasting emergency warnings on our cellphones.

The plan stems from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires upgrades to the emergency alert system. The act requires the Federal Communications Commission to develop ways to alert the public about emergencies. Source

Weather radar can be a complicated thing to understand. But there are many great websites where you can learn about severe weather and track storms right along with the professional meteorologists on television.

While I don't recommend trying to out-guess the National Weather Service on where a storm might be headed, understanding a little bit about the radar and tracking storms on your home computer can help give you additional lead-time to prepare for approaching severe weather!

A NOAA Weather Radio can save your life. Period.

Every home, every office, every school should have one.

Do you live in an area where there are lots of tornadoes or hurricanes? We used to.

Ever had the roof of your house damaged by high winds during a storm? Thankfully, we haven't (yet). But when we lived in Florida (especially when we were on the tiny little island called Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola) "roofs damaged by high winds" were a very common occurrence.

But I could never find any step-by-step details for making a temporary roof using a blue tarp. I never understood how the tarp stayed in place until I saw some simple instructions for making a temporary roof in an old issue of This Old House magazine (March 2005).

Perhaps others might benefit from this information as well...