Gabby Brown learned about National Weather Service operations both in the office and out in the field during her summer internship with the Weather Forecast Office in Columbia, South Carolina.
Hello! I am Gabrielle (Gabby) Brown, a 2021 Hollings scholar. This past summer I interned at the National Weather Service (NWS) in Columbia, South Carolina. My project investigated if lightning data from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper can help us issue tornado warnings with more lead time, which is the time between when a warning is issued and the warned event occurs. The lightning data could allow forecasters to more quickly identify which cells within tropical systems, such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and more, have the likelihood of producing tornadoes. During my internship, I got to learn about National Weather Service operations both in the office and out in the field.
![Three women pose together and smile in front of a large downed tree in a wooded area. The remaining trunk of the downed tree is split down the center and raggedly broken off at the top. (Image credit: Douglas Anderson) Three women pose together and smile in front of a large downed tree in a wooded area. The remaining trunk of the downed tree is split down the center and raggedly broken off at the top.](/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/2022-08/Storm_Survey2_lg.jpg?h=360557d8&itok=NtU6JVxp)
2021 Hollings scholar Gabby Brown (center) surveys storm damage with two volunteers, Natalie Jones (left) and Abby Grulick (right), during her internship at the Weather Forecast Office in Columbia, South Carolina. (Image credit: Douglas Anderson)