It could have been relayed by ATC, and if they took the time to forward it along, then thanks is due there as well. But the reality is that pireps are pretty low on ATC s priority list and probably fewer than half make it into the FSS distribution system. The ATC system can work really well for passing along weather to those who are on the party line and know how to use it. This isn t the long, formal report format of the Aeronautical Information Manual. Everybody in the sector hears it, and occasionally somebody will ask the location of the reporting aircraft.
Controllers generally pass the information on to new crews checking on the frequency.
The airlines put it into their own dispatch systems. If you think of flight service as GA s dispatch system, merely reading the weather from the NWS is not enough. Sometimes the forecasts that flight service gets from NWS are not accurate. Sometimes it is more art than science. There are briefers and controllers with a flair for understanding the weather situation.