SKYWARN STORM SPOTTERS HAVE THEIR EYES ON THE SKY
FOR NOAA’S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

April 13, 2007 — Spring marks the start of the severe weather season across much of the nation and the NOAA National Weather Service will be there for you if severe weather threatens your area. But did you ever wonder what you can do to help protect yourself, your family and neighbors? Have you considered becoming a trained NOAA Skywarn storm spotter? A trained storm spotter knows their local weather hazards, the visual clues of threatening weather and how to get critical weather information to the local weather service office and emergency managers in a timely manner.

“Severe storm spotters are the ‘eyes’ of the National Weather Service and local community. Their reports greatly help the overall warning process and can save lives,” said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Although Skywarn spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a Skywarn spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threaten lives and property.”

What is Skywarn?
For more than 35 years, the Skywarn program has been helping the National Weather Service gather critical “ground truth” information from the field before, during and even after severe weather events. Nearly 280,000 trained volunteer storm spotters help keep their local communities safe by providing reports of severe and hazardous weather.

“Their real-time descriptions of tornadoes, hail, wind and significant cloud formations provide a truly reliable information base for both severe weather detection and verification,” said John Robinson, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service forecast office in Little Rock, Ark. “Their report becomes part of the warning decision making process, and when combined with radar data and other information, is used by National Weather Service forecasters to decide whether or not to issue a new warning, cancel an existing warning, continue a warning, and/or issue a warning for the next county.”

Skywarn facilitates NOAA's mission to protect lives and property in three ways:

• Assists in present and future warning decisions,
• Confirm hazardous weather detected by NOAA radar and satellites, and
• Provides verification information after the storm has passed.

Spotter reports also help their local public safety officials make critical decisions to protect lives — when to sound sirens, activate safety plans, etc. Trained spotters perform an invaluable — and often little recognized — service to their communities.

Countless lives have been saved because of the unique partnership between volunteer storm spotters, emergency management and the NOAA National Weather Service. “Just one report form a single Skywarn storm spotter can save thousands of lives,” said Chris Maier, NOAA’s national warning coordination meteorologist based in Silver Spring, Md. “They are in the ranks of citizens who form the nation's first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time — seconds and minutes that can help save lives.”

Skywarn spotters are not by definition "storm chasers." While their functions and methods are similar, the storm spotter stays close to home and has close ties to a local weather forecast office. Storm chasers, on the other hand, are often meteorologists, thrill seekers or individuals working for the media, who race to find storms and may cover hundreds of miles a day. (The NOAA National Weather Service does not condone, endorse or recommend storm chasing. It is a dangerous practice and should not be attempted).

The organization of spotters and the distribution of warning information varies among areas of the country, with local National Weather Service offices taking the lead in some locations, while emergency management (police, fire and emergency management personnel) takes the lead in other areas. In some areas where emergency management programs do not perform this function, people have organized Skywarn groups that work independent of a parent government agency and feed valuable information to the NOAA National Weather Service. While this provides the warning meteorologist with much needed input, the circuit is not complete if the information does not reach those who can activate sirens or local broadcast systems.

Spotters Augment Technology
NOAA's National Weather Service has a number of devices for detecting severe weather. Yet even with advanced satellite technologies and the advent of Doppler radar, the most important tool for observing severe weather is the trained eye of the storm spotter. It is impossible for any radar to detect every severe weather event in its coverage area, and radar occasionally suggests severe weather when, in fact, none is present.

“Radar can detect the basic parent circulation that spawns tornadoes, but it can not always tell you whether tornadoes are actually being produced and their precise location. Also, certain types of tornadoes can form before a Doppler radar signature is detected,” said Maier. “Storm spotters still give us the most complete picture of what's really happening in and around severe storms. Radar simply cannot tell us everything we need to know in the warning decision making process.”

Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by Skywarn spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled the NOAA National Weather Service to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. According to Brent MacAloney, meteorologist in the National Weather Service Warning Verification Program in Silver Spring, Md., trained spotters have contributed to more than 220,000 severe weather warnings over the last five years.

Becoming a NOAA Skywarn Storm Spotter
Anyone 18 years or older with an interest in public service and access to communication can join the Skywarn program. Volunteers include amateur radio operators, law enforcement and fire personnel (paid or volunteer), emergency medical services workers, dispatchers, postal workers, public utility workers, city or county workers, farmers, and other concerned private citizens. Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches, nursing homes or who have a responsibility for protecting others are encouraged to become a spotter.

The core skills of a Storm Spotter are:

• Communications skills and abilities - Must have a quick and reliable way to relay information.
• Training - Willing to devote time and resources to training.
• Mobility - Able to position themselves to best and safely view the storm.
• Reliability - Can often be available 24 hours a day.

Skywarn Training
The National Weather Service has 122 local weather forecast offices, each with a warning coordination meteorologist who teaches the Skywarn program in their local area. To find out when a Skywarn class will be conducted in local your area, contact your local warning coordination meteorologist at: http://www.stormready.noaa.gov/contact.htm

The National Weather Service, along with your local emergency management officials and ham radio groups, typically organize Skywarn storm spotter training sessions during the late winter and early spring — one or two months before the most active severe weather season. Classes are free and are an hour or two in length. Classes are usually taught by your local warning coordination meteorologist and include detailed information on storm types, identifying potential severe weather features, spotter safety and reporting procedures and severe weather meteorology. Local officials also use training sessions to explain specific operating procedures and call-out methods.

“The specific needs of the communities can vary, depending on its geographic location and the experience level of their spotters. Basic storm spotter classes are required for new spotters, although more experienced spotters are also encouraged to attend these sessions to refresh their skills and knowledge. Experienced spotters are also encouraged to attend more advanced Skywarn training sessions,” said Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service forecast office in Norman, Okla.

Dispatchers, emergency operations center personnel, and/or ham radio network controllers who help relay information between the storm spotters and the NOAA National Weather Service are encouraged to attend these training sessions to gain a full understanding of the terminology and the need to relay such information.

“Training is most effective when it is combined with real life experiences and on-the-job training. While classroom training is essential, it may take several severe weather seasons for spotter groups to become experienced in what they are seeing and what to report,” said Smith.

Spotter Safety
Accurate and timely spotter reports are critical, but the first priority of a storm spotter is to STAY SAFE! Severe storms bring hazards, any of which could lead to injury or death.

“Safety should be first and foremost on the mind of a Skywarn storm spotter. Remember, the National Weather Service values your safety more than we do your observations. It is essential that spotters proceed into the field armed not only with knowledge of the storms, but also with an understanding of the dangers posed by them,” said Gary Beeler, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service forecast office in Mobile, Ala. "

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA

NOAA National Weather Service

NOAA Skywarn Web page

National Skywarn Web page

NOAA Storm Watch

Media Contact:
NOAA National Weather Service Public Affairs, (301) 713-0622
Article by Julie Bedford (Editor, NOAA Magazine)