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SKYWARN is the National Weather Service (NWS) Program of trained volunteer weather spotters. These volunteers support their local community and government by providing the NWS with timely and accurate weather information.
These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology such as Doppler Radar, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens.
The SKYWARN program had its origins in the early 1970’s and has historically provided critical severe weather information to the NWS so that more accurate and appropriate warnings are issued. The main focus of SKYWARN mirrors the mission of the NWS, to save life and property.
SKYWARN achieves this objective through the use of observations and reports from trained volunteers. Despite the most sophisticated and up-to-date technology, including Doppler radar, high resolution satellite imagery, the fastest and most high powered computers and software, and best trained meteorologists in the world, the National Weather Service still needs ground truth reports. Nothing will ever replace the reliability and importance of a trained pair of eyes that can spot and report severe weather.
The Amateur Radio Operators participation in the SKYWARN program is formally acknowledged and encouraged in a Memorandum of Understanding between the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the NWS. The NWS brings its weather knowledge, the Amateur Radio Service brings its expertise in emergency communications, and together, they work with local governments and the Red Cross.
In Hillsborough County, SKYWARN is a part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) program. ARES and SKYWARN nets are held each week, and are designed for training and for exchanging information related to significant weather across Western Hillsborough County.
During actual SKYWARN activation, the NWS will be looking for reports of tornadoes or funnel clouds, damaging winds, hail, heavy rain or flooding. When reporting during severe weather nets, please give your call and name, time and location of the severe weather and/or damage, and exactly what you have seen. Try to be as specific as possible as to location, time and date of the weather occurrence or related damage. This information is often invaluable to the forecaster issuing the severe weather warnings, and is also quite useful to forecasters looking back at the event. Stored Doppler radar imagery can be correlated to damage and specific storms so that patterns and radar signatures can be better recognized in future events. The damage reports can also be used for storm verification purposes. The National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as one that produces wind gusts of 58 mph or greater and/or hail of ¾ inch in diameter or larger, and/or of course tornadoes. Should a thunderstorm produce such a hazard, or should a forecaster feel that there is sufficient potential for a thunderstorm to produce such violence, then the NWS has a responsibility to issue warnings to protect the public.
Because of this responsibility, the National Weather Service needs SKYWARN spotters to look for certain criteria to be met, with great importance given to the type and extent of damage. Estimated wind speeds, size of hail and amount of rain all useful in determining the strength of a storm. Forecasters can issue warnings with greater accuracy and confidence knowing the exact potential of a storm.
The extent of damage to trees and man made structures can be correlated to certain thresholds in wind speeds, as can the size of hailstones. So it can be quite useful to know what a storm has already done. This is why it is important for forecasters to know just how large hail is or how large downed tree limbs or trees are. Wind speeds are estimated from this information which in turn may be vital in issuing warnings to protect life and property for the community next in line. Not sharing this important information could lead to personal injury or even death for those neighbors in the next community.
When SKYWARN is activated, be brief and specific. Most importantly, put safety first. NEVER go looking for severe weather.
The National Weather Service will be looking for reports of:
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