SKYWARN
SKYWARN is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters.
SKYWARN volunteers support their local community and government by providing the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens. SKYWARN, formed in the early 1970’s, has historically provided critical severe weather information to the NWS in time to issue the appropriate warnings. The key focus of the SKYWARN program is to save lives and property through the use of the observations and reports of trained volunteers.
The Amateur Radio’s operator’s participation in the SKYWARN program is formally acknowledged and encouraged in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the NWS. This MOU indicates that ARRL will encourage its local volunteer groups operating as the Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) to provide the NWS with spotters and communications as requested by the NWS during times of severe weather.
Many civil disasters are the direct or indirect result of severe weather. Accordingly, the NWS may utilize the SKYWARN Amateur Radio operators not only to obtain and disseminate severe weather observations and warnings, but may also use them to maintain close coordination with the Red Cross and Emergency Managers from local government entities under ARES or Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES).
SKYWARN volunteers donate thousands of hours and the use of their own personal radio equipment and vehicles to give their communities advanced warning of life threatening weather. Since the NWS instituted the SKYWARN Program, there has been a significant decrease in the death rate due to tornadoes and other severe weather.
The Grant County Amateur Radio SKYWARN Operations Manual is available via the link at the bottom of this page. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).
Here are some Skywarn websites of interest:
Northern Indiana NWS Skywarn - http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/?n=nwsnorthernindianaskywarnpage
National Weather Service – Northern Indiana - http://www.crh.noaa.gov/iwx/
Indiana Michigan Ohio Skywarn - http://www.imoskywarn.org/
NOAA Watch - http://www.noaawatch.gov/
Storm Spotter Training Guides - http://www.spotterguides.us/
Central Indiana Skywarn Map - http://www.w9vmw.org/images/
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 Grant County SKYWARN Standard Operations Manual.pdf | [ ] | 109 Kb |
