Julie Wallace Thomas of Delray Beach has been part of the WPTV First Alert Weather Spotters program since it began. A recent tour of the WPTV newsroom showed her how much her work matters.
Thomas learned that spotters have direct communication with the National Weather Service and that their observations help the agency do its job. She said that discovery changed how she sees her role. Confirming a tornado in her own neighborhood, she said, could make a real difference for other people.
Her interest in weather started in a childhood science class, where she studied the different kinds of clouds. Today she follows radar to see what is coming.
Thomas has also photographed sunsets and rainbows. She recalled a beach baptism at Anchor Park in Delray Beach, where her husband, the pastor of their church, baptized a woman in the water. A double rainbow appeared during the ceremony, and she captured it.
The WPTV story notes that people can sign up for the spotter program through the station’s website.
