The Campus Weather Service provides an array of services to the community. We provide our forecasts free of charge over various media. We currently provide forecasts to radio stations across central and northwest Pennsylvania, to the student newspaper, the Collegian, and our video team is active with C-NET. We also provide our radio clients with fast severe weather alerts as they become available. To learn more about a certain one of these areas, please click on their respective links. To take advantage of these services, please contact us; we would be happy to provide free weather forecasts for your business as well. Thank you for visiting the Campus Weather Service website.

[ Radio | Video | Severe Weather | Newspaper | Web ]

CWS Radio Operations

Today, Radio Operations has well over 100 members and runs 365 days a year. Our mission is to serve the community and provide valuable experience for our members. We accomplish our goals by having the latest equipment and dedicated, hard working members.

During the fall and spring semesters, CWS runs four shifts during the week and two on weekends (and when school is not in session). Upperclassmen with forecasting experience run the shifts. These "shift managers" help other shift members analyze the weather conditions affecting the forecast area.

After a discussion of the days weather events, a consensus forecast is then agreed upon and is used as a base for all our client's needs. Each forecast is then customized for each individual client. A discussion of the weather systems effecting the weather is also written to provide a general synopsis of the weather. Finally, at regularly scheduled times our clients receive our forecast. There are several options to receive their forecasts, depending on their capabilities and ours. Our state of the art radio booth provides clear and professional quality broadcasts that our clients can disseminate over their airwaves. For clients other that radio stations, we can email forecasts to them and discuss specific issues that could affect their business.


Our biggest asset is our flexibility. Because we serve only a limited number of clients, we have the ability to cater to the individual needs of all our clients, no matter how diverse. To top it all off, our service is completely free. From the smallest student radio station to the largest amusement park in the region, CWS Radio provides what the client needs- accurate, up-to-date forecast products. We also provide for the needs of our students by offering them a forum to practice their broadcasting and forecasting skills. Whether you are a student or the head of a large radio station, you can benefit for being a part of CWS.

CWS Video Operations

In the mid 1980's, CWS began to branch off into the video field to provide students with the opportunity to gain practical on-air television experience. It wasn't until the fall of 1999 a television studio was built on the fifth floor of the Walker Building. This gave CWS members the chance they needed to gain real studio experience. Today, we feel that keeping up with the newest technology is important when competing against other meteorology schools. This is why in January 2009, our studio was remodeled adding new monitors and cameras. In all, over $100,000 of new equipment was installed. In April 2009, we also ordered a brand new Apple computer to edit our weather forecasts using top of the line software. In our forecasts, we use WSI Corporation to create our graphics. This is the same corporation used by many local NBC and FOX affiliates across the country as well as CNN.

One of the first things you can do to get involved in CWS Video is join a basic weekly video shift. You will work together with 2-4 other students in the television studio to create a forecast for the next 5 days, produce weather graphics, and record a statewide weathercast. This weathercast is uploaded to our website for the entire world to see! Once the video is edited and uploaded, the rest of the time in your shift is used to practice your skills in front of the chroma key, more commonly known as the green screen. Your shift manager can help you work on anything from basics like pointing to more challenging tasks such as what to say and how to say it. Video shifts can be done by anyone, even if you don't plan on going into broadcasting.

Once you feel comfortable and confident doing a video shift, you can move on to C-NET. What is C-NET? C-NET is a government access channel in the Centre County area which airs our forecasts. Yes, you can be on television! For C-NET, you will produce a three minute and thirty second long weathercast for Centre County. This task includes writing the forecast, creating the graphics, and being the on-air personality. A crew member will be there to help you with the video equipment. Every member in CWS Video will crew at least once to learn a bit about directing. C-NET is an excellent way to gain on-air experience and make a resume tape for those interested in becoming broadcast meteorologists.

Our video studio is also used to record forecasts for:

• Palestra.net, a website for college journalists across the country
• Centre County Report, a student run newscast airing weekly on WPSU
• PSNtv, Penn State's TV News Network
• Weather or Not, a student run, educational weather show airing weekly on C-NET
• Weather World, a statewide weather show airing daily on PCN

Students have the opportunity to work on all of these shows, especially as juniors and seniors. This does not mean you will be ruled out just because you are a sophomore or freshmen. Each one of these opportunities is a great way to enhance your public speaking and broadcasting skills, improve your confidence as a forecaster, and boost your resume above others.

CWS Severe Weather Operations

Throughout its history, Campus Weather Service has realized that severe weather monitoring is essential in providing our clients with the best ongoing weather coverage. For this purpose, the Severe Weather Committee was formed. The Severe Weather Committee is on call 24 hours a day in order to inform our clientele of any watch, warning, or advisory issued by the National Weather Service affecting our coverage area.

The committee consists of volunteers from the Campus Weather Service who are always on call to provide up to the minute severe weather coverage. The VP of Severe Weather and various committee members constantly monitor current conditions for the potential risk of severe weather outbreaks in the area. Once a special statement is issued by the NWS, the committee springs in to action!

By congregating in the Weather Station on the sixth floor of the Walker Building, the Severe Weather Committee has access to the latest information, maps and imagery provided by the latest high-tech computer systems which keep them updated on the constantly changing conditions. Information is then immediately relayed to clientele. By holding shifts in the weather station, committee members can also keep clientele informed of changes in the conditions through live broadcasts at a client's demand. Keeping abreast of the situation helps insure that our clients get the most up-to date and complete coverage of severe weather when it strikes.

CWS Newspaper Operations

Since August 3, 1998, Campus Weather Service has provided the official weather page of The Daily Collegian, the newspaper independently published by students at Penn State. Through this partnership, Campus Weather Service is able to provide its forecasts to a majority of Penn State's student body of over 40,000 students and the local community.

The weather page contains a brief synopsis of the current weather with a broad outlook of what can be expected for the region in the near-future. Readers can plan their week by utilizing Campus Weather Service's 5-Day forecast included on the page as well. For those readers planning to travel in the state, the weather page also provides forecasts for various cities across Pennsylvania.

Aside from the forecasts, Campus Weather Service also includes additional weather features that may be useful to the readers on its newspaper weather page. One feature includes the almanac of current climate data for State College, featuring sunrise/sunset, normal temperatures, and record temperatures for the day, with the current precipitation amounts, the normal precipitation amounts, and the temperature departure from normal for the month.

CWS Web Operations

Weather is one of the most popular uses of the internet. The Campus Weather Service Web Committee creates and maintains several web pages for client organizations. The forecasts on these pages are updated four times a week on weekdays and twice a day on the weekends.
The Campus Weather Service will design a weather page to your specifications for you.

The Digital Collegian

If your company would like the Campus Weather Service to supply your forecasts, send a request using our email form. This is a free service!