Polk County Skywarn
What is SKYWARN?
A program consisting of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe and hazardous
weather to local National Weather Service Offices
Why do we need SKYWARN?
SKYWARN spotter reports provide vital "ground truth" to the NWS. The reports serve the NWS
mission of protecting life and property in 3 ways:
Assist in present and future warning decisions
Confirm hazardous weather detected by NWS radar
Provide verification information which can be used for future research efforts.
What is Severe Weather?
Severe Weather criteria:
Winds in excess of 58 MPH
Hail (any size)
Actual Rainfall of 2" or more in a one hour period
Tornado, Funnel Cloud or Waterspout sighting
Damage/Injuries of any kind
Skywarn Resources:
WCF Skywarn Operating Protocols
National Weather Service Tampa Bay
Interactive Weather Information Network IWIN (For High Speed Internet Connections)
Interactive Weather Information Network IWIN (Text Only)