Five years ago, I read a Sun blog post just like this one about a Skywarn Spotter class that trains volunteers to gather local information for the National Weather Service. I marked my calendar, took off of work early and headed to a Glen Burnie community center to learn some weather basics.
Five years later, I'm taking over as the Sun's Maryland Weather blogger.
At the Skywarn class, I found myself surrounded by men, women and children with interest in weather even more intense than my own. In that room, it was like a badge of honor to have spotted one of the tornadoes that rips through Maryland every year or two. I can't mark that experience off my bucket list yet, personally.
I recognize, though, that a three-hour weather class isn't for everyone. Most people probably receive the bulk of their weather news by looking up at the sky. I'm hoping to serve both types of readers here.
A little about myself: I've lived through the heat waves, droughts and blizzards known to make news in Maryland weather as a Timonium native, University of Maryland graduate and Patterson Park resident. I'll be covering future weather events for this website and for the pages of the Sun's print edition, along with any other breaking news that comes my way.
I know longtime Sun reporter Frank Roylance leaves massive shoes to fill. Thanks to Sun reporter Candus Thomson, librarian Paul McCardell and content editor Kim Walker for helping to keep the blog afloat since Frank's departure.
Now I hope to pick up where he and they left off. I'm no meteorologist, but a good reporter doesn't need much more than curiosity and good sources.
That's where you come in: if you have been a die-hard follower of the blog, please introduce yourself – in the comments, by email or phone, or via our new Twitter handle, @MdWeather. I tweet personally at @ssdance about other news and general city life. Let me know what questions you want answered, what weather stories aren't being told and anything else you'd like to see written here.
And thanks for reading.