The SkyWarn Spotter program is a voluntary program in which the pubic can participate and interact with your local NWS Office. Skywarn spotters are encouraged to relay critical weather information to their local NWS Office, in support of the Warning and Forecast Operations. The information they provide routinely helps the NWS Forecasters make better more informed forecasts, and helps them to warn others of impending dangers or hazards.

Report Severe Weather to the NWS in State College, PA

A list of what we ask our Spotters to report.

We ask our SkyWarn Spotters to contact our NWS office located in State College Pa (phone) when they experience any of the following things:

Tornadoes or funnel clouds (be very wary of look-alikes; watch for rotation)

Wall clouds, especially if they are rotating

Hail (Be specific with regard to size; DO NOT report MARBLE size, as it is too ambiguous) Report in inches or relate it to a coin. Penny (3/4") and larger is severe!

Wind Gusts (40 mph or greater; specify whether estimated or recorded)

large branches downed (specify diameter of branch)

Trees/power lines downed

Structural damage to buildings (roof, windows, etc.)

Rainfall

1 inch or greater in an hour (NOT a 1"/hr. rate for 10 minutes)

2 inches or greater storm total

Flooding

Streams/Rivers -- also, when nearing bankfull

Street (when more than the usual poor drainage puddles)

Winter Weather

Thunder-snow

1/4" ice accretion

New Snowfall

First 2 inches; every 2-3 inches thereafter

1 inch per hour or greater accumulation

Give a final report/total at the end of the storm

"How do I become a Skywarn Spotter," you ask??

SkyWarn Spotters are asked to receive weather spotter training and safety information during informational sessions, normally conducted by the local NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM), and Forecasters. These training sessions are usually conducted in the Spring and Summer months, in anticipation of the climatological Severe Weather Season.

Many of our Skywarn spotters are also Amateur Radio operators. These spotters use amateur radio frequencies to relay important and time sensitive information to the NWS. See a map of frequencies listened to by the NWS.

Skywarn Spotter Newsletters
Spotter Terminology Glossary
NWS Kids Page
Weather Safety
NOAA Weather Radio Our Most Direct Link to You!
Weather Safety Brochures
National StormReady Page
Our Local StormReady Program Info

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 over 230,000 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.

Who is Eligible?

NWS encourages anyone with an interest in public service and access to communication, such HAM radio, to join the SKYWARN program. Volunteers include police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers and other concerned private citizens. Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches, nursing homes or who have a responsibility for protecting others are also encouraged to become a spotter.

How Can I Get Involved?

NWS has 122 local Weather Forecast Offices, each with a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, who is responsible for administering the SKYWARN program in their local area. Training is conducted at these local offices and covers:

Basics of thunderstorm development
Fundamentals of storm structure
Identifying potential severe weather features
Information to report
How to report information
Basic severe weather safety

Copyright © 2008 Western Pa Weather LLC
All Rights Reserved
Radar/maps © Weather Underground. Used with permission.
E-mail webmaster@johnstownpaweather.com