Spotter is the type for people who have passed a WxAlerts spotter exam. You never request it.
How you get it
Take the free course at training and pass the General or Advanced exam. Your account becomes a Spotter as soon as the pass is recorded, and your certificate carries a number anyone can look up.
You keep the same certificate number for life, including when you renew or move from General to Advanced.
What spotters can do
- File reports from the app or the site. Only a current spotter can file a report of their own.
- Set a handle and an optional amateur callsign, shown on your reports.
- Turn on a public profile page with your service area and your reports.
- Show your position on the live map while the app shares it, if you switch that on.
- Answer questions meteorologists ask about your reports, from your inbox.
See Spotter reports for how a report is scored and where it goes.
Staying current
A pass is good for one year from the day you earn it. After that it stays current while you complete at least three continuing education modules in any rolling twelve months.
If you fall short, your certification lapses: you keep your number and certificate, but you cannot file reports until you catch up. It is current again the day your third module is complete. Passing an exam again also renews it.