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About Us
Our Program
The Texas Aggie Storm Chasers (TASC) are a student-run program
organized and supervised by the Texas A&M Student Chapter of
the American Meterological Society (TAMSCAMS) that allows
participants to observe severe thunderstorms and tornadoes out
in the field, augmenting their classroom education about
severe storms. Participants also relay any severe storm
reports to the National Weather Service (NWS) via Amateur
Radio or telephone, thereby helping the NWS in its mission to
protect lives and property.
Forecasters
Our forecasters are selected by the coordinators based on
their demonstrated knowledge of weather forecasting,
particularly pertaining to severe weather. Our lead
forecasters have all completed undergraduate courses in
synoptic meteorology and severe storms/mesoscale meteorology
and in most cases (at least for the undergraduate lead
forecasters) spent at least one semester as an apprentice
forecaster. Our apprentice forecasters are anyone in TASC who
has shown a desire to work with our lead forecasters to learn
more about forecasting severe weather. Our lead and apprentice
forecasters are typically named at the start of each academic
year with additional forecasters added in the spring only to
replace forecasters who might graduate or step aside at the
end of the fall semester. The forecasting "teams" rotate on a
weekly basis. The lead forecaster each week is responsible for
updating the forecast discussion found on our website,
updating the severe weather threat index if necessary, calling
operations (in conjunction with the TASC coordinators) and
working with his or her apprentices in an effort to help them
learn severe weather forecasting through hands on experience.
There is also a forecasting coordinator responsible for
overseeing that forecasts are updated (frequently if
necessary), continuing the education of both lead and
apprentice forecasters, and scheduling forecasting "teams".
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