FAQ's
1. What is SKYWARN?
SKYWARN, founded in the early 1970's is made up of a group of trained,
dedicated amateur weather enthusiast who work in conjunction with the
National Weather Service by observing and reporting adverse weather
conditions to promote public safety and minimize property damage. In the
advent of Doppler Radar, and other technologies, the art and science of
weather forecasting has made great strides, but even with all the
technology, the National Weather Service still is in need of 'ground
truth' observers. It is through training that the NWS teaches interested
volunteers to be safe, effective and accurate weather spotters who
provide them with the needed ground truths.
2. Who can qualify for the SKYWARN program?
Anyone over the age of 16 with an interest in weather and public service
qualifies for SKYWARN Spotter Training. Once trained, you are a
qualified SKYWARN Spotter. Currently, we have approximately 2000
spotters of all ages and walks of life.
3. How does SKYWARN work?
SKYWARN, generally speaking, is placed on stand-by when a severe weather
watch is posted by the National Weather Service. Once that watch is
upgraded to a warning, SKYWARN becomes activated and spotters are asked
to make severe weather observations. After making an observation that is
reportable, there are several ways to relay the information to the
National Weather Forecast Office which include: telephone, amateur
radio, citizens band radio and public safety radio, and *APRS*. The best
way to learn the specifics of your county's reporting protocol is to
contact your county coordinator
4. Do you have to be a member of the amateur radio
service to be a SKYWARN spotter?
Simply answered, no. Anyone over 16 with an interest can train as a
spotter. It should be noted, however, that the NWS may utilize the
SKYWARN Amateur Radio operators to maintain close coordination with the
*Red Cross* and Emergency Management through both the Amateur Radio
Civil Emergency Services (ARES) and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Services (RACES). Additionally, SKYWARN is formally acknowledged in a
Memorandum of Understanding (MAU) between the American Radio Relay
League (ARRL), the *National Red Cross* and the National Weather
Service. This agreement states that the ARRL will encourage local
volunteers operating under ARES to provide spotters services and red
cross communications as requested by either the NWS during times of
severe weather, and the National Red Cross while administering disaster
relief efforts. A copy of the Memorandum may be obtained by contacting
the *ARRL, publications department*.
5. How do I become a SKYWARN spotter?
You must be at least 16 years old, be able to observe weather (though no
instruments are required), and have access to a telephone or be an
amateur radio operator so you can relay your reports. You also must take
a SKYWARN class which is a free, informative, fun filled 3-hour seminar
that teaches you the basics of how SKYWARN operates, how to spot and
report severe weather. After completing the class, you will be mailed a
SKYWARN Identification number, a certificate of completion and written
review of what to report and how. All SKYWARN Spotter Training Courses
are free and are held in various sites through the 34 county Mount Holly
Forecast Coverage Area within most of New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania,
Eastern Maryland and Delaware.
6. What happens to my report once it is relayed to NWS?
Some of the reports are used to send out statements, warnings and
short-term forecasts to the public via the media. The reports also go
into "Storm Data", which is a publication that documents severe weather
across the country and can be used to create a severe weather
climatology database of a specific county, city or region of the
country.
7. How does the SKYWARN amateur radio network operate?
Many of our volunteers are licensed amateur radio operators. Each
county, or a group of counties, is assigned a County Coordinator (CC) or
Net Controller (NC) and several assistants. Whenever SKYWARN activation
is requested by the NWS Forecast Office in Philadelphia / Mount Holly,
these CC/NC's notify the SKYWARN Spotters in under their jurisdiction
through announcements on specified amateur radio frequencies. When
reportable weather is observed by these volunteers, they relay their
report directly to their Net Controller. The Net Controller then sends
the report to the NWS via phone or *APRS/Packet radio*. When The NWS
receives these reports they are used by the forecasters. Since phone
calls take time away from other duties of the forecasters, the APRS
system is ideal for the NWS and the HAM radio community. Net Controllers
in the Mount Holly forecast area also have a direct 'voice' link via
amateur radio to the weather service office. They also conduct a net
every Thursday of the month at 9:00 PM on the BEARS UHF linked system.
8. What is the SKYWARN Advisory Committee?
The SKYWARN Advisory Committee, first of its kind in the United States,
is made up of exceptionally dedicated technically oriented SKYWARN
spotters who work together for the betterment of the Mount Holly SKYWARN
program. The Advisory Committee has a governing body and a membership of
about 20 individuals from all over the 34 county forecast coverage area.
They have open meetings which are announced on the list server, on the
homepage and in the newsletter. Some of their projects include,
construction and maintenance of the linked BEARS UHF repeater chain
which links most of the 34 county coverage area via amateur radio, the
Automatic Position Reporting Service (APRS) network which is a network
of several computers that communicate data via radio frequencies to the
National Weather Service and to each other. Additional projects include
maintaining this website as a central focal point for all spotters,
coordinating and communicating training sessions, maintaining a list
server discussion list and a Severe Storm warning list server.
Additionally, a quarterly newsletter is published on this site giving
the latest news and views. The Advisory Committee also runs an annual
special event station which earmarks the beginning of the severe weather
season (typically in March). Per capita, this group of volunteers is
representative of a very high percentage of actively working membership
which is always striving to maintain the group as one of the premier
SKYWARN organizations in the country. If interested in joining, please
go to the Advisory Committee page within this website.
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Questions
- What is SKYWARN?
- Who can qualify for the SKYWARN program?
- How does SKYWARN work?
- Do you have to be a member of the amateur radio service to be a SKYWARN spotter?
- How do I become a SKYWARN spotter?
- What happens to my report once it is relayed to NWS?
- How does the SKYWARN amateur radio network operate?
- What is the SKYWARN Advisory Committee?