Neighbors Helping Neighbors: The Rise of Community-Powered Weather Coverage

~Anne Boswell

The news is all over our phones, when we want it so why should weather forecasting happen the same way?

Meteorologist Matt Meister felt that serving his community would be creating a way to make this happen.

And Peaks2Plains was born.

We caught up with Matt Meister and opened the interview just talking about how it all came to be, which seemed like where we should start.

"Just given how information flows nowadays and where we expect information to be, in the palm of our hands, it's not in the timing of a newscast." Meister said.

Meister is endeavoring to cover it all, from the Peaks to the Plains, so the name really does say it all. While Southeast Colorado usually gets a weather cam mention or a call out when the tumbleweeds are clocking 70 mile per hour winds on traditional media, Meister is able to customize the forecast to us right here in Bent County, or Crowley County. Southeast Colorado gets attention.

He told us the format of having a weather app, and social media channels gives him the time to explain the weather and really get into what is going on.

"Without the time constraints of traditional broadcasting we can get into the detail that matters for people who are in the path of the storm, we can talk about what we do know, what we don't know and what we don't know how that impacts what you should or should not be doing, and that all takes time to analyze with all of the different data that is available when you're analyzing storms that could be or could not be putting a tornado down."

Besides telling you detailed information about the storm, Meister adds that they are able to educate around safety on storms too. He cautioned against going out into the storm and said the best place for you to be in a storm is in a small interior room of your home. Smaller rooms are structurally stronger, think closets and bathrooms. If you have a basement, that's best. Make sure to stay away from windows. While we all are curious and want to get a look at what is going on, Meister wants the community to stay safe.

There will be opportunities, however, for all of us to contribute on Peaks2Plains. Meister has the technical capability to share a link for folks to be on camera with him. He strongly suggested that you only share when you're in a safe place.

It's part of the feeling that weather should be shared, that it's "Our weather together," as Meister proudly said is part of what they are doing with Peaks2Plains.

Some of our neighbors in Southeast Colorado have already contributed during the storms. Just this week, there was a tornado reported outside of Fowler as well as a tornado warning for Crowley County.

"While not as frequent as other parts of the country, you know on average, Colorado does get about 50 tornadoes a year. On the whole, they're certainly not as strong as other parts of the country just because we don't have the water to support um, strong of updrafts and supercells that they get in Oklahoma and eastern parts of the United States, but we do get tornadoes around here and we do have tornadoes that have damaged things in the past and we do need to take them seriously."

If you're a weather buff, you might marvel at the beauty and strength of the storm but unless you really know what you're doing, chasing one just isn't a good idea. You might be going the wrong way.

"The storm might be doing what we call cycling, a mesocyclone might be developing right on top of where you are and you're not aware of that." Meister explained.

Staying put is best. Don't worry the beautiful photos will likely be shared.

Meister was proud to say the community helped out a lot with this week's storms.

"We had lots of people who were away from the storms, joining us in our coverage via some links that we share during our coverage, helping us see these things and giving us live reports and doing it together, this is neighbors helping neighbors in that way. I never want someone who is the path to do that, I only want people who are in safe places, but to have people on the ground that have either had the storm move through or are way out ahead of it, helps us communicate and be certain about what's happening with the storm for the people are are underneath of it and in the immediate path of it."

Over the next few years, Meister hopes more people join in.

"We're gonna have eyeballs everywhere!"

Meister talked about some of the coverage that came from Crowley County this week.

"We had two different people that came on with us that were looking right at the base of the storm, where a tornado would be and that storm did produce a tornado. And so again, this is , the next evolution of weather coverage, it's community sourced, and it really is, Anne, it's neighbors helping neighbors."

Meister started Peaks2Plains solo but has since added to the team, creating what some in Southeast Colorado and beyond are calling the "the Dream Team." Former Chief Meteorologist at KRDO Channel 13, (ABC, Colorado Springs) Merry Matthews joined Matt Meister. Meister was also once Chief Meteorologist at KRDO as well. And the most recent Chief Meteorologist to join Peaks2Plains is Rachel Plath. The expansion will allow them to bring more weather coverage to the state complementing each other with different styles with solid weather knowledge and experience.

There are many ways to get Peaks2Plains. Meister said on the Roku Channel you just search for it and it should come right up. He is expecting to have Peaks2Plains live on Fire TV on June 28th and is in the process of getting on Apple TV. You can follow on social media with YouTube, and Facebook but Meister said the app is still best. It's 24 hour and the quickest way to get YOUR forecast.

"We can give you a digital should tap and let you know that we have something that you and your family need to know about."

Meister wrapped up to say he hopes you share Peaks2Plains with everyone you know, at church, at school events, and community functions.

"We'd be really grateful!"

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