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SKYWARN is a national network of volunteer severe weather spotters. The
spotters are trained by local National Weather Forecast Offices on how to
spot severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail and flooding. In parts of
the country, spotters also report
snowfall and ice.
SKYWARN History
During the early 1940's the Weather Bureau cooperated with the military in
setting up volunteer spotter networks to protect military installations. After a
tornado killed 80 and injured 273 people in Kansas in 1955,the Weather Bureau
decided to train severe weather spotters. On March 8,1959, in Wellington,
Kansas, the first training course for 225 severe weather spotters was held.
How does
SKYWARN Amateur Radio work?
Two-thirds of the volunteers are licensed amateur radio operators. Amateur
radio plays a big role in the SKYWARN program. During severe weather,
amateur radio volunteers man a amateur radio station
at the National Weather Service Office. They talk to the spotters in the particular area that the storm is occuring and request
information needed by the forecasters. Large storms knock out phone
service. SKYWARN amateur radio volunteers are there to relay severe weather reports to
the national weather offices to keep communities informed of severe weather.
The National Weather Service issues watches and warnings warnings, based in part
on observations from storm spotters in the field. Your reports are important to
warning forecasters who are making critical warning decisions.
How do I become a weather spotter?
You must take a SKYWARN class. This class is a free 3-hour
seminar that teaches you the basics of how SKYWARN
operates, how to spot severe weather, what to report, how to
report and when to report it. At the end of the class, you are given a special SKYWARN ID card with reporting instructions.
There is no cost for the class. SKYWARN
Training classes are
held each spring.
What Spotters Look For
Storm spotters play a
vital role in the warning and information process by observing storms and making
reports back to the National Weather Service and local public safety officials.
Trained spotters learn about the physical structure of severe storms and how to
identify the most likely areas for severe weather development. They also learn
about visual clues that may precede tornado development, and learn to
distinguish between real tornadoes and look-alikes. These types of details, when
coupled with NWS forecasters’ expert radar interpretation, lead to better
warnings and statements. Once SKYWARN
Spotter observation reports are received by the National Weather Service office
via a toll-free 800 number or web email, the reports are sent to the media (i.e.,
Weather Channel, etc..)
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SKYWARN
Reporting Criteria
How to
report
When making a report, remember to answer three basic questions...
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WHAT Happened? Type of Event (Tornado, downed trees, etc..) |
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WHEN did the event happen? Also, duration of the event. |
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WHERE did the event happen? Location of event (town or city, portion of county, major intersections) |
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What To Report
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Tornadoes |
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Funnel Clouds and Wall Clouds |
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Rotating Thunderstorms |
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Wind Gusts Greater Than 45 mph |
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Hail (any size) |
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Wind Damage |
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Flooding |
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Heavy Rain |
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Power
Outages |
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Any
weather related deaths and injuries |
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Spotters Safety Tips
Safety should be
first and foremost on the mind of a spotter. Remember, the N.W.S. values your
safety more than your observations. It is essential that spotters proceed
into the field armed not only with knowledge of the storms but also with an
understanding of the dangers posed by thunderstorms. When spotting, travel in
pairs if at all possible. When moving, this will allow the driver to remain
focused on the chore of driving while the passenger keeps an eye on the sky and
handles any communication with the dispatcher. When stopped, two sets of eyes
are available for observation.
Keep aware of the
local environment at all times. When in the vicinity of a thunderstorm, keep a
2-mile "buffer zone" between you and the storm. Frequently check the
sky overhead and behind to ensure no unexpected events (such as a new tornado)
are developing. Always have an escape route available, in case threatening
weather approaches or if you get within the 2-mile "buffer zone."
Lightning is the
number one killer among weather phenomena. During a typical year, lightning
kills more people than hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms combined. The
two main threats posed by lightning are the intense heat of the lightning stroke
(about 15,000 degrees Celsius) and the extreme current associated with the
stroke, estimated at 30,000 amperes (less than 1 ampere can be fatal).
Lightning is also the
biggest weather hazard facing the spotter. When in the field, the spotter will
usually be in a preferred lightning strike area (in the open, on a hilltop,
etc.). Whenever possible, remain in your spotting vehicle to minimize the chance
of being struck by lightning. If you must leave your vehicle, crouch as low as
possible to make yourself a less favorable target. Hail is usually not a direct
threat to life, but hailstorms are the costliest weather element to affect the
United States. Each year, hailstorms cause over $1 billion in damage primarily
to crops, livestock, and roofs. Giant hailstones (2 inches or more in diameter)
can reach speeds of 100 miles an hour as they fall to earth. If such a stone
strikes someone, the results can be fatal. There have been only two documented
hail related deaths in the United States, but a hailstorm in China killed over
100 people in 1976. A vehicle will usually offer adequate protection from
moderate sized hailstones. Hail larger than golf ball size may damage
windshields, so avoid large hail shafts if at all possible.
Down bursts are
underrated thunderstorm threats. A down burst is defined as a strong down draft
with an out rush of damaging winds on or near the earth's surface. Down bursts
are responsible for the "wind shear" which has caused a number of
airliner accidents in the 1970's and early 1980's. When people experience
property damage from a down burst, they often do not believe that "just
wind" could have caused the damage, and they assume that they were struck
by a tornado. In fact, the strongest down bursts have wind gusts to near 130
miles an hour and are capable of the same damage as a medium sized tornado.
Down bursts are
classified based on their size. If the swath of damaging winds is 2.5 miles or
greater, it is called a macroburst. If the swath is less than 2.5 miles across,
it is called a microburst. In general, macrobursts are long-term, large scale
events, while microbursts are intense, quick hitting phenomena. Microbursts are
subdivided as wet or dry microbursts, depending on how much rain falls with the
microburst. If very heavy rain falls with the microburst, it is called a wet
microburst, while a dry microburst has little or no rain reaching the ground.
Flash floods are
another example of an underrated thunderstorm threat. Over the past several
years, more people have been killed in flash floods than in tornadoes. Two
factors are responsible for this. First, we have urbanized. Where rain water
used to have open fields in which to run off, it now has highway intersections,
basements, streets, etc. Second, the public as a whole is apathetic about flash
flooding. We simply do not treat flash flooding with the respect it deserves.
Many of the recent deaths associated with flash flooding have occurred because
people attempted to drive their vehicles across a flooded low water crossing and
were swept away by the flood waters. Less than two feet of moving water is
needed for a vehicle to be swept away. When spotting in a flash flood situation,
follow these common sense safety tips. Remember that flash flooding is most
dangerous at night when the effects of flash flooding are difficult to see.
Since most flash floods occur at night, this problem is compounded. Avoid low
water crossings and don't drive into areas where water covers the road. If you
are caught in a flash flood, abandon your vehicle and quickly get to higher
ground.
Last but not least is
the tornado. Again, a tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air
in contact with the ground and pendant from a thunderstorm (whether or not a
condensation funnel is visible to the ground). If the violently rotating column
of air has not touched the ground, it is called a funnel cloud. If a tornado is approaching your
location, drive away from the tornado IF you are in open country, IF the
location and motion of the tornado are known, and IF you are familiar with the
local road network. If you are in an urban area and escape is not possible for
some reason, abandon your vehicle and get into a reinforced building. If a
reinforced building is not available, get into a culvert, ditch, or other low
spot in the ground (that is not flooded).
Spotting at night is
obviously more difficult than spotting during the day. There are only a few
allies available to help you when night spotting. If possible, use the light
from lightning flashes to illuminate the important parts of the storm. Quite
often, though, lightning strokes will be very brief and will illuminate
different parts of the storm from different angles. This will make it even more
difficult to accurately report what is occurring. If you are in large hail, the
most dangerous part of the storm is near you and will probably move overhead
within a few minutes. If you hear a loud roaring sound, then a tornado may be
very close to your location. Use this tip with caution. Not all tornadoes have a
loud roar, and some non-tornadic winds may also possess a loud roar. Finally, if
you think there is a tornado not far from your location (i.e., within spotting
range), search along the horizon for bright flashes of light as the tornado
destroys power lines and transformers.
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What is RACES?
The
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), is a public service provided by a
reserve volunteer group of Amateur Radio Operators that is administered by
local, county and state emergency management agencies, and supported by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the United States government. As a
part of the Amateur Radio Service, it provides radio communications for
civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national
civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities,
but can include natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires,
power outages, floods, victim searches, air crashes, and many others.
What is ARES?
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who
have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for
communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. Every licensed
amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national
organization, is eligible for membership in the ARES. The only qualification,
other than the possession of an Amateur Radio license, is a sincere desire to
serve. Because ARES is an amateur service, only amateurs are eligible for
membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is
not a requirement for membership.
The Taunton, Massachusetts National Weather Service has a SKYWARN / ARES
Spotting Program. The amateur radio call is WX1BOX.
SKYWARN Spotters and amateur radio operators send reports to the weather service
ops via phone or radio communication. There are many frequencies where the
SKYWARN weather nets are run. Most are on the 2 meter (144-148 MHz) and 70
centimeter ( 420-450 MHz) bands.
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