SKYWARN is a program of the United States' National Weather Service (NWS). Its mission is to collect reports of localized severe weather. These reports are used to aid forecasters in issuing and verifying severe weather watches and warnings and to improve the forecasting and warning processes and the tools used to collect meteorological data. It consists of a network of severe weather spotters that observe weather conditions and make reports of severe weather to their local NWS offices. These spotters are trained by personnel from the local NWS offices each spring in advance of the coming severe weather season. Image File history File links Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. ... NOAA scientists observe severe weather using a mobile doppler radar and a helicopter (in the distance) Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous. ... Weather spotters of the Skywarn system are used in the U.S. to report severe weather. ...
Storm spotting
Where severe storms are possible, storm spotting groups such as SKYWARN in the United States coordinate amateur radio operators to keep track of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Reports from spotters and chasers are given to the National Weather Service to warn the general public. Spotters also give reports during winter storms, floods, hurricanes and wildfires. Other countries have similar programs, such as the Canadian spotting program CANWARN. An amateur radio operator An amateur radio operator is an individual who has been assigned an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority. ... The National Weather Service (NWS) is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States government. ...
SKYWARN has long been associated with amateur radio. Many NWS offices maintain a radio station that is manned by amateur radio operators during times of severe weather. This allows amateur radio equipped spotters to transmit their severe weather reports directly to the NWS and receive up-to-date severe weather updates even if regular communications are disrupted or overloaded by the weather emergency. Amateur radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD display and DSP capabilities Amateur radio, often called Ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by about six million people[1] throughout the world. ...
It is important to note that participation in SKYWARN does not require an amateur radio license; more than half of all SKYWARN spotters are not licensed for amateur radio and instead make their reports via telephone or the Internet when those are still functioning.
Those interested in participating in SKYWARN should contact the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at their local NWS office.
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).
All skywarn spotters that complete a skywarn training class are issued a spotter ID. The first two letters indicates the county that the spotter resides in.
Many NWS offices maintain a radio station that is manned by amateur radio operators during times of severe weather to allow other amateur radio equipped spotters a reliable means by which to transmit their severe weather reports to their local office and receive up-to-date severe weather updates.
It is important to note that participation in SKYWARN does not require an amateur radio license; more than half of all SKYWARN spotters are not licensed for amateur radio and instead make their reports via telephone or the Internet.
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