Central
Illinois Skywarn: What is Skywarn?
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 get the appropriate warnings issued
. Thus the key focus of the Skywarn program is to save lives and property
through the use of the observations and reports of trained volunteers.
(Gropper, 1993)
Despite the elaborate radar and forecasting equipment at the National Weather
Service, they are only able to determine the potential for severe weather.
They rely on reports from the public and law enforsement personnel to confirm
actual severe weather.
Accurate and reliable information from the general public is difficult to
obtain. Severe weather is complicated and confusing. The NWS has found that
only regular training of weather spotters improves the quality of information.
The National Weather Service (NWS) collaborates Amateur Radio organizations to
put together training programs. The NWS brings its weather knowledge, the
Amateur Radio Service brings its expertise in emergency communications, and
together they work with local government and the Red Cross.
The Amateur Radio's operators 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 agreement indicaties thet
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. (Gropper, 1993)
Many civil disasters are the direct result of severe weather and/or are
exacerbated by 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)(Gropper, 1993). RACES is organization of volunteer Amateur Radio
operators trained in emergency communications and severe weather spotting.
Authorized and regulated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
RACES provides essential communications and warning links for state and local
governments during emergencies. The importance of this additional role
for Skywarn was demonstrated during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in
August of 1992.
Trained Skywarn observers provide the Weather Service with accurate, and
timely reports from radio equipped cars and homes. The NWS is most interested
in severe weather reports. Severe weather includes flash flooding, hail,
damaging winds, a wall cloud (which is the area of a thunderstorm where a
tornado could form) and a tornado funnel. If the NWS confirms severe
weather with radar and other available information, it then notifies local
authorities who then can activate Civil Defense sirens. The news media
recieves notification so they can make reports on local broadcast stations.
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.
--Gropper, Daniel R. Skywarn Net Control Operations Manual, Washington, DC 1993
In Peoria, Tazewell, and many other Central Illinois Counties, the Skywarn net is controlled by the county ESDA unit. If you have any questions about spotting or the Peoria County ESDA, you may
End of Skywarn: What is Skywarn?