Skywarn
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SKYWARN is a program used by trained weather spotters to report severe weather to the United States's National Weather Service.
While highly technical equipment is used to evaluate the weather, the data doesn't usually indicate specific localized occurrences (for example, flash floods, the formation of a funnel cloud, or the presence of hail). The spotters provide essential information that is helpful in providing severe warnings and watches, and documenting weather trends. Trained spotters often have an amateur radio license, and many national weather service offices have an amateur radio station within the facility to receive weather reports by individuals or networks of spotters. Participation in Skywarn does not require an amateur radio license, though. Spotters can report severe weather using a telephone or e-mail.
All skywarn spotters must complete a skywarn training class. In some regions, spotter ID cards and numbers are issued to certified spotters. The first two letters indicates the county that the spotter resides in. The next number or numbers indicate the individual number of the spotter. Larger states in the midwest, southwest, and tornado alley areas have done away with spotter ID's due to the large numbers of certified spotters.
A local National Weather Service office may activate their amateur radio station in anticipation of severe weather, or after it issues any warnings. After the activation, skywarn spotters with amateur radio licenses can contact the local office to provide reports of severe weather. Other spotters may use cell phones and ground lines to contact local NWS offices with reports. Up to date offices now use web reporting as well.
Severe Thunderstorm reports include:
- Wind in excess of 60 miles per hour
- Hail in excess of 3/4 inches
- Tornados, funnel clouds or rotating wall clouds
- Flooding of rivers, streams, creeks or roadways
- Closed or impassable roads
- Down trees or powerlines
- Damage by wind or lightning
- Rain in excess of 1 inch per hour
- General Weather updates are provided as well according to need
Winter weather reports include:
- Snow accumulation in inches
- Acy ice acumulation on trees, streets, or power lines
- Sleet or freezing rain
- Wind gusts in excess of 35 miles per hour
- Downed Trees, large branches, or power lines
- Impassable or closed Roads
External links
- National Skywarn Homepage (http://www.skywarn.org)
- Index to Skywarn Pages on the Internet (http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/weather/skywarn.html)
- Southern Region Hompage - NWS (http://www.srh.noaa.gov)
- Storm Prediction Center, Norman, OK (http://spc.noaa.gov/)