A Palm Beach County resident's childhood fascination with clouds has grown into a passion for capturing South Florida's weather and helping meteorologists document conditions on the ground.
Julie has been part of WPTV's weather spotter program since it began, photographing everything from colorful sunsets to rainbows and severe weather around her community.
"I've always loved the weather ever since a kid in science class when they're teaching us about the different kinds of clouds," Julie said. "More recently, to be able to see on the radar what the weather is coming up."
Some of her most memorable photos came during a beach baptism at Anchor Park in Delray Beach.
"Our church goes out to Anchor Park in Delray for a beach baptism, and as my husband, the pastor of our church, took this man's wife out into the waters to baptize her, we were rewarded with this brilliant double rainbow," Julie said. "So I got some great pictures."
But sharing weather photos can do more than showcase South Florida's scenery.
During a visit to the WPTV newsroom, Julie learned that reports from people in the community can also help meteorologists and the National Weather Service understand what is happening during severe weather.
The National Weather Service relies on reports from people on the ground to supplement information from tools such as radar and satellites. Those reports can provide what forecasters call "ground truth" — confirmation of weather conditions that technology may not be able to fully detect.
Spotter reports can also be used by National Weather Service forecasters when deciding whether to issue, continue or change severe weather warnings.
That was something Julie hadn't realized before visiting the newsroom.
"What you guys are doing is actually helping the Weather Service too. I didn't know that," Julie said.
Learning that her observations could potentially help others gave new meaning to something she already loved doing.
"Knowing this now helps me to understand that I can make a difference in other people's lives," Julie said. "To confirm that there was a tornado in my neighborhood, that it could make a difference means a lot to me."
For a lifelong weather fan, a photo of what's happening outside can be more than just a picture — it can be another set of eyes on the storm.
You can sign up for the WPTV weather spotter program on the WPTV website under the Weather Spotter tab.
