Introduction

What is Skywarn?

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established Skywarn® with partner organizations. Skywarn® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the 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 threatened lives and property. 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 NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods.

Skywarn® storm spotters are part of 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. While the main role of a storm spotter is to be their community's first line of defense against dangerous storms, they also provide important information to NWS warning forecasters who make critical warning decisions. Storm spotters play a critical role because they can see things that radar and other technological tools cannot, and this ground truth is critical in helping the NWS perform our primary mission, to save lives and property.

How Skywarn Works in the WFO Norman County Warning Area

Many people ask how they can become a member of Skywarn. In most cases, Skywarn isn't really something you become a member of. Skywarn is a concept based on having citizen volunteers help their community and the NWS by observing and reporting hazardous weather occurring in their area. Anyone can be a storm spotter and submit reports directly to the NWS. If you are interested in becoming a member of an official local Skywarn storm spotter network, you'll probably want to contact your city or county emergency management office for information. Many communities have organized networks of storm spotters, often made up of amateur radio operators, fire departments, law enforcement or other volunteers. These local networks may have very specific training and membership requirements, so check with your local officials to see how you might be able to get involved.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a member of Skywarn?
Skywarn is not really something to be a member of. It’s the concept of using volunteer storm spotters to provide critical information to local communities and to the NWS, and that’s what has driven the storm spotter program since it began decades ago. Your community may have an organized storm spotter network that uses the name Skywarn, and you should contact your local emergency manager to find out what formal spotter networks are in place near you and how you might be able to get involved.

What is my spotter ID number? Do I get an ID card?
NWS Norman does not issue ID cards or spotter ID numbers.

Do I need an amateur radio license to be a storm spotter?
It depends on your community and how involved you want to be. You don’t have to be an amateur radio operator to make a severe weather report, but many spotter networks are made up of dedicated amateur radio operators who use radio to coordinate their local network and to relay reports to the NWS. If you’re interested in learning more about amateur radio, visit this site.

How do I report severe weather?
In many communities, spotters are expected to report directly to their local emergency management office, fire department or law enforcement office. Those reports are important for local officials who need to make decisions regarding local warning systems or deal with storm damage or flooding. Local officials will usually relay your report to the NWS in Norman.

If you are not affiliated with a local spotter group or are unable to contact your local officials, you can submit a storm report directly to our office using the methods described "Submit Report" tab in the above menu.

Steps to Becoming A Skywarn Spotter

Spotter Safety

Whether you are mobile or spotting from a fixed location, safety is a storm spotter’s number one priority!

Choose the following links for storm spotter safety tips and suggestions

Severe Weather Safety Information

• Thunderstorms, Tornadoes and Lightning Brochure
• Storm Prediction Center Tornado Safety Page
• American Red Cross Tornado Information
• American Red Cross Thunderstorm Information
• NWS Lightning Safety Web Page
• Flood Safety Brochure PDF

Winter Weather Safety Information

• NWS Winter Weather Safety Page
• Winter Storm Brochure
• American Red Cross Winter Storm Information
• Winter Weather Tip Sheet

Additional Links

• NWS Severe Weather Safety Page
• All NWS Safety Brochures
• NWS Heat Safety Information
• Weather Safety for Children

Driving Hazards and Safety

The routine act of simply driving a vehicle is probably the most dangerous activity storm spotters engage in. When you take the normal everyday risks associated with driving, and add to that the additional risks storm spotters face, such as driving in bad weather, being distracted by the storm, using the radio or cell phone, etc, it becomes apparent that mobile spotters need to take extra care to be safe.

Here are some suggestions to help you stay safe when spotting from your vehicle:

• Make sure your vehicle is mechanically ready.
• Always be sure you have enough gas.
• Always wear your seat belt.
• Drive only as fast as the law, and weather and road conditions allow.
• The driver should focus on the road, not the storm. When possible, spot in teams of at least two people.
• Avoid unpaved roads. Being stuck in the mud as a storm approaches is a very uncomfortable position to be in.
• Do not drive into blowing dust, heavy rain, hail or fog that obscures your view.
• If you must pull over, be sure you are well off the roadway to avoid being hit from behind.
• Highway overpasses should not be used as weather shelter areas. Watch for stopped vehicles near overpasses.
• Consider keeping the engine running when stopped to view a storm.
• Be alert for increased traffic and pedestrians (storm chasers, media, etc) around severe storms.
• After the storm, be on the lookout for debris, downed trees and power lines. Assume every power line is live and stay far away from it.

Lightning Hazards and Safety

If you are close enough to a storm to hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Lightning can strike with no warning - the first bolt could be the one that gets you.

Here are some tips to stay safe from lightning while spotting:

• Stay in your vehicle whenever possible.
• While in your vehicle, try to avoid contact with the steering wheel, radio, etc.
• Do not lean on your vehicle.
• Stay away from fences and power lines - they can carry lightning currents to you.
• Avoid being close to the highest object.
• If you are in the open, avoid being the highest object. Squat on the balls of your feet. This will reduce the amount of area that your body is in contact with the ground.
• Take a CPR class.

Flash Flood Hazards and Safety

Floods kill more people than any other weather hazard. Most people that are killed drown in their vehicles. Remember -- Turn Around, Don't Drown!

Here are some tips to stay safe from flash flooding while spotting:

• Never drive across a flooded roadway unless you are certain of the water's depth and that the road is intact under the water.
• Flooding is most dangerous at night, so be especially alert after dark.
• Watch for washed-out roads and bridges.
• If your vehicle stalls, get out immediately and head for higher ground. Again, most people who are killed by flash flooding drown in their vehicles.

Severe Storm Hazards and Safety

Mobile spotters should be extra cautious when operating around any thunderstorm, and even more cautious when dealing with a severe storm.

Here are some tips to stay safe from severe weather while spotting:

• Know where you are at all times. Be sure your dispatcher or net control station knows your location.
• Know where you are in relation to nearby thunderstorms.
• Know the movement (speed and direction) of nearby storms.
• Always have an escape route to take you out harm's way.
• Do not "core punch" or drive into a thunderstorm's core. You may encounter a variety of extremely dangerous conditions, including giant hail or even a tornado.
• Maintain a safe distance when viewing a wall cloud, funnel cloud or tornado. How much distance is safe will depend on a variety of factors, including the type of storm, its movement, the time of day, the road network, etc.
• Keep your head on a swivel. Avoid being fixated on one feature and not recognizing other dangers with the storm.
• Be prepared to move quickly and safely to a new position.
• What are the greatest hazards to storm spotters?
  
  In order from the greatest hazard to spotters to the least: being on the road, lightning, flooding, hail and wind, and then tornadoes. The slides below add a little more detail to these hazards. Click here for basic spotter safety guidelines that are essential to keep in mind.


• I see a tornado, what should I do?
  
  If the tornado is a safe distance away and moving away from your location, then send us your report. (Choose the "Send a Report" menu tab above.) Otherwise, if the tornado is too close or it may be moving toward your location, you need to take immediate action to protect yourself! Always plan ahead to have an escape route from a tornado. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles away from the tornado path. Otherwise, you need to find a sturdy shelter as quickly as possible! If one is not available (i.e. you are in the open country), as a last resort find a low spot and lie face-down covering the back of your head with your hands. Remaining in your vehicle, or sitting under an overpass are very dangerous, and should not be attempted!

Reference Materials

Training Resources

Spotter Training Webinars

Each year NWS Norman provides several online storm spotter training opportunities using GoToMeeting Webinars. These live interactive training sessions are conducted by a NWS meteorologist and available to you at no cost via your computer, or by using the GoToMeeting app on your smartphone or tablet. The training sessions are usually around two hours long, and cover the same basic material as the live training classes. We may periodically offer special topic webinars for spotters, as well.

While anyone is welcome to participate in our webinars, the material is geared toward storm spotters in our area of responsibility of central and western Oklahoma and western north Texas. To participate, find a webinar on our training schedule and follow the link. After answering a few very basic questions, you’ll be registered and will receive an email with a link that will allow you access to the training. You’ll view the presentation on your computer screen, and the audio will come through your computer speakers.

The webinars cover the same material and have the same learning objectives as the live classes. You can participate in the online training as an individual from the comfort of your home or office. Amateur radio groups, emergency management organizations, businesses, schools and other groups may also choose to host the webinar for a gathering of people in a more traditional meeting setting. In these hosted sessions, the organizer registers for the webinar and sets up a computer, projector and speakers to allow the presentation to be seen and heard by a group of any size.

The learning objectives of both our live and web based training are:

• Understand how the Integrated Warning System works and how the storm spotter fits into the system


• Recognize the hazards associated with thunderstorms and how to stay safe while storm spotting


• Be able to identify where severe weather is most likely to occur in a supercell thunderstorm, and how to identify key features including wall clouds, funnel clouds and tornadoes.


• Distinguish between important cloud features and less significant look-alikes, including shelf clouds and scud clouds


• Understand the difficulties and dangers of spotting after dark


• Learn proper storm reporting procedures

Spotter Training Live Training

The storm spotter training team from the National Weather Service in Norman conducts several live training sessions across our area each year (usually in February and March) to help prepare spotters for what is usually the busiest time of year for severe weather. We do the training at the invitation of local emergency management officials who organize the sessions, and who, in most cases are responsible for maintaining their local storm spotter networks. Most classes are open to anyone interested in learning more about severe weather, but you should always check to be sure before attending a class.

Our live training sessions are about two hours long. This goal of the training is to give the spotter the basic information they need to be able to assist local officials and the NWS with the early detection of severe weather, and to provide ground truth during severe weather events.

Spotter Training Video Modules

NWS Norman has developed a series of training videos covering different aspects of severe weather and storm spotting, and they are posted on the NWS Norman YouTube channel.

Here are some of the video modules we currently have online:

Introduction	Staying Safe
Identifying Key Features	Wall Clouds and Tornadoes
Video: Rotating Wall Cloud	Scary Looking Clouds
Night Spotting	Video: Power Flash
Video: Nighttime Tornado	Storm Motion and Positioning
Reporting