Bartholomew County SKYWARN Procedures

by Noel Taylor, N9CJT

1.  When should a formal SKYWARN net be activated locally?

Whenever there is severe weather to report, clear threat of severe weather, direct request from the National Weather Service (NWS) for local information and/or a Skywarn net, or any combination of the above.  In addition, many RACES volunteers carry pagers through which the county EMA director can provide notification, warning, and requests for Amateur Radio Service involvement.

 

2.  Who should be net control station (NCS) for a formal SKYWARN net?

Locally, anyone can serve in this capacity.  ARES and RACES leaders work for a living, as do many of the regular Skywarn spotters, so waiting for an "official" to call the net may prove to be disastrous.  It is good for an NCS to have some experience in emergency operations and/or spotter training, but this is not a requirement.  If you see someone's barn spinning overhead, don't worry about credentials or pecking order!

 

3.  How should a net be called?

Since local commercial broadcast stations and local Emergency Management staff often listen to the local Skywarn net, a very brief update of storm status from the NCS serves both to update net participants and to facilitate local warning efforts.

 

When NWS is tracking a storm, a statewide Skywarn net is in operation on the 146.97 repeater in Noblesville, a northeastern suburb of Indianapolis.  This repeater system can be used effectively by most fixed stations in the Columbus area.  This is the place where the station assigned as NWS liaison should be reporting.  When NWS is not tracking local severe weather, the liaison station should be one capable of notifying NWS via computer (preferred) at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/severe_weather_report.htm or telephone at 317-856-0359 or 800-499-2133.  NWS states that these methods of contact are to be used for severe weather reporting ONLY!

 

4.  Where should the net be called?

The primary Skywarn operations in Bartholomew County take place on the 146.79 (-600) WB9AEP/R in Columbus.  In the event that this repeater is disabled, the secondary (back-up) frequency is 146.49 simplex; NCS will inform the net of this fact occasionally during any net begun on the repeater.  Note:  It has been suggested that 146.79 simplex be used instead when the repeater goes down to avoid confusion.

 

5.  What events does NWS want to know about?

Previously, only hail the size of a quarter or larger was of interest.  This year only, the NWS is requesting that the Skywarn community report any kind of hail, even pea-sized, so that it can refine its radar system algorithms for hail.  Of course, tornadoes and funnel clouds and rotating wall clouds are of special interest during tornado season.

 

Comments:

1.  Often hams can anticipate severe weather by listening to Skywarn nets in surrounding communities.  For the Columbus area, the nets which prove most predictive are those in Bedford (146.73), Bloomington, (146.64) and Franklin (146.835).  Really early warning, for those with directional antennas, can be had from the 147.24 machine in Bloomfield.  If severe weather damages Bedford, its track is usually into Seymour and/or Columbus.  Bloomington storms usually track into Columbus, Taylorsville, Edinburg, or Franklin.  There are even storms on record which have entered Bartholomew County from the northwest and have gone on to do damage in Milan and Dillsboro before going into Kentucky south of Cincinnati, but the usual track is ENE (east-northeast).  Often hams can provide early warning of both severe weather and NWS spotter needs by noting these tracks, and then assigning a liaison station to the area AHEAD of the storm.  If it nails Seymour (145.43) and North Vernon, it's likely to hit Batesville (146.805).  If it nails Ogilville or Elizabethtown, it's likely to hit Westport, Letts (146.955), or Greensburg.  If it tracks from Bloomington to Edinburg, it's a good idea to warn Shelbyville (145.48) and Rushville (147.00).

 

2.  One or more back-up NCS operators may prove to be vital during severe weather.  As a storm moves through, the primary NCS may desire to disconnect his antennas and unplug his equipment when lightning strikes come near, or may be directly in the path of a tornado.  If there is a back-up NCS, that person can take over smoothly without loss of vital time and information.  (This does assume that the back-up NCS is keeping good notes throughout the net.)

 

3.  An example of a useful report to NWS might be:   "N9KVX, a trained spotter, reports 3-inch diameter hail breaking out most of the west windows at Cummins Engine Company in downtown Columbus.  This report is now 3 minutes old."  Another good example might be:  "At 7:35 p.m. KD9SB reported finding 8" diameter healthy tree limbs down along State Road 7 due north of Elizabethtown."  An example of a useless report might be:  "The Columbus Skywarn net is reporting high winds all over the place."  Even a specific report of 100 mph winds measured on a calibrated anemometer in downtown Hope as a tornado destroys the town square is useless if exact time and direction of travel is not provided.  Remember, the primary goal of Skywarn activities is to protect lives.  Only after the storm has moved into another state does NWS care whether or not you put the hail in your freezer, or how far you had to search to find your shed.

 

4.  Severe Weather Definitions (from http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/spotter/spring02/page4.html) are included below.  Accurate use of these clearly defined terms will prevent misunderstandings, both among trained personnel and among unlicensed listeners (see Question #3 paragraph #2).

 

5.  Please keep in mind at all times that the purpose of a Skywarn net is to provide advance warning so as to save lives!  From this perspective, it is easy to understand that transmissions should be short and to the point.  During the time a warm-hearted fixed station operator enjoys his participating by giving a wordy report about light winds and rain, a frantic mobile station observing a rapidly descending funnel cloud may be prevented from reporting the impending doom of an entire housing development.  Just remember that it's called SkyWARN, not SkyCHAT.