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What is SKY WARN?
SKY WARN is the name given to a program sponsored by the US National Weather Service. The program is made up of thousands of who volunteers attend regular training and then spend hours scanning the skies of their communities looking for signs of meteorological mayhem. These volunteers, usually organized under the SKY WARN banner in the USA or CAN WARN in Canada, are trained by weather service forecasters to be the eyes and ears (and skin) of the warning forecasters.
Most volunteers are just regular folks, some with an avid interest in the weather and many without. Some are law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS or Emergency Management personnel. All share a sense of responsibility to their neighbors.
Charles Doswell, Alan Moler, and Harold Brooks cover the topic of storm spotting (in the context of the Integrated Warning System) in an excellent paper entitled Storm Spotting and Public Awareness Since the First Tornado Forecasts of 1948.
What about all those new sensors the National Weather Service recently installed? Don't tell me they don't work!
Not at all! The now complete network of WSR88D (Weather Surveillance Radar, 1988, Doppler) radars is functioning quite well and has saved many lives. However, the system can not detect every tornado nor was it designed to do so. For this reason, spotters in the field are used to provide invaluable "ground truth" information to verify and enhance what forecasters see on their radar console.
Storm Spotter's Guide - NWSFO OUN
A Comprehensive Glossary Of Weather Terms For Storm Spotters - NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS SR-145 - Michael Branick (KD5BFC) NOAA/NWSFO Norman
WW2010 - Severe Storms online meteorology guide - Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Don't I need to be a "ham" to be a spotter?
Won't I have to learn Morse Code?
No site dedicated to SKY WARN activities would be worth the bandwidth if it didn't include a section about communications. After all, communicating -- getting severe weather observations from the field to the forecaster or emergency manager and then out to the public -- is what the SKY WARN program is all about!
In answer to the question "do I need to be a ham to be a spotter?" the answer would have to be "no, but it sure helps!". Many, but not all, SKY WARN programs use Amateur Radio to relay information from the field to the weather service forecasters and emergency managers. Some programs use the General Mobile Radio Service, while others use public safety radio systems such as police and fire systems.
And about Morse Code? That went out with the 20Th Century! Entry-level amateur radio licenses haven't required Morse Code knowledge since 1991.
The ARRL -- the national organization for Amateur Radio in the United States -- has been helping "hams" get started since 1914. Their website has a good section on becoming a licensed amateur radio operator, including a list of frequently asked questions and their answers. The ARRL also has a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Weather Service concerning severe weather spotting.
Keith Brewster, NØIAW, maintains a Weather Spotting Frequency List. In addition to Amateur Radio Service frequencies, many other frequencies are listed as well.
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