Communicating Weather Information to High School Students: What Do They Really Want?

In an era of ever changing social media platforms and continuously improving on-line weather forecasts and apps it is a challenge to provide a high school student body with meteorology resources that they find important and, for that matter, will find at all in their social media menu.

Morristown-Beard Weather Services (MBWS) has a team of members that are tackling this problem. It involves these steps:

1. Determining what information students need/want that is not currently available.
2. Maximizing their reach by identifying what platforms students use.
3. Providing content in a clear and timely manner.

This process has included skills and expertise in several areas:

1. Computer Graphics
2. Writing
3. Performing
4. Weather Forecasting
5. Programming

It is important to note how low down the list Weather Forecasting is. This emphasizes the fact that a weather/meteorology curriculum at the high school level introduces students to several skills that are widely applicable to any path they choose after high school. Participation in a meteorology club should not be limited to those with an interest in the weathe