Upper Dublin High School's weather station, known as Project STORM (Science, Technology, Observation and Research in Meteorology) provides real-time meteorological data for our community. Located on the school's roof, this professional-grade monitoring system measures essential weather parameters including temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, and lightning detection. The station operates 24/7, offering accurate, up-to-the-minute weather conditions specific to our local area. This data serves both educational purposes within our science curriculum and as a valuable resource for community weather awareness.

With weather apps readily available on your mobile device, why would residents want the Upper Dublin High School Weather Station forecasts? The advantage is that the data is specific to our community. Most weather apps provide data collected from either Northeast Philadelphia Airport or Philadelphia International, which are some distance away. By using our localized data, you receive the information specific to our township.

Project STORM, initiated by Dr. Schmidt in 1995 at Sandy Run Middle School, began as a hands-on educational project to enhance meteorology and earth science programs. Funded through the district’s technology grants, Dr. Schmidt introduced several cutting-edge weather monitoring systems, including a satellite data acquisition system, a WeatherMAX weather station, and a StormTracker lightning detection system. Students played an integral role in operating and maintaining the equipment, collecting real-time atmospheric data around the clock. These tools enabled the study of major weather events, such as the Blizzard of '96 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and helped lay the foundation for what would eventually become Upper Dublin’s advanced meteorology program.

In 2000, Dr. Schmidt expanded Project STORM to Upper Dublin High School, where it continued to evolve with the addition of new instruments and technology, such as a sophisticated satellite receiver and a weather station. The project gained significant recognition with the creation of the STORMcast service, which provided weather forecasts and updates to the school and local community. Over the years, the program has grown to include a state-accredited Advanced Geosciences curriculum, along with advanced radar analysis software and monitoring tools. Today, Project STORM is one of the most comprehensive high school meteorology programs in the state, offering students real-world experience in weather science while contributing valuable data to the community.

For Dr. Schmidt, "It was always an important educational point that students understood how weather data was generated.  It was not just coming from the "magic screen" on a computer. " For students interested in meteorology, having actual instruments has taught them responsibility for maintaining scientific devices that need to work in all weather conditions year-round.