Skywarn.htm

For Severe Storm Information, Monitor

NWS Storm Prediction Center

For Local Severe Storm Information, Monitor

NWS Jacksonville Severe Weather Page

**NEW PROGRAM**

The National Weather Service has instituted a new program that Skywarn Spotters should consider. The Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow initiative, CoCoRaHS, is designed to provide more accurate reports on precipitaion amounts to the National Weather Service. Among other things, these reports would greatly improve the ability to forecast flooding. Participation requires purchase of a specific rain gauge and registration with CoCoRaHS. Want to sign up? Click here to go to the CoCoRaHS web site.

The Skywarn Program

Skywarn is a program developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) to enable people to report severe weather conditions to the local Weather Service office. Meteorologists from the local NWS office teach both basic and advanced classes in various communities in their coverage area.

The Basic Skywarn class teaches the basics of storm spotting. The Advanced class expands on this information and goes into more detail. A third course, Hurricanes and Tropical Storms, is under development.

The next Skywarn class, Basic and Advanced in one session, will be held on June 17, 2008 at the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center. To sign up, call Bob Pickering, Emergency Management Technician, at (386) 313-4250 or e-mail BP@flagleremergency.com.

[IMPORTANT: Classes may be canceled with short notice should severe weather, a tropical storm, or hurricane pose a threat to the forecast area. All potential class attendees should check on the day of the class to insure that the class has not been canceled.]

If you have taken the Skywarn classes and want to review the material, or if you are interested in the Skywarn spotter program, NWS Jacksonville meteorologist Angie Enyedi has created an online review of the course. This is a new feature and can be accessed by clicking this link to the Skywarn Storm Spotter Review.

The Flagler County Skywarn program is coordinated by the Communications and Warning Section of Flagler County Emergency Services.

The Participants

Flagler County Skywarn storm spotters are trained by staff of the National Weather Service in Jacksonville, Fl. The classes are free and anyone can become a Skywarn storm spotter.

Classes in Flagler County are generally held at the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center. Pre-registration is required. Because our severe weather season is rapidly approaching, NWS meterologists are frequently required to be on duty at headquarters. As a result, there are no classes scheduled at this time.

Classes are offered at other locations, as well. A list of upcoming classes is available on the NWS JAX Weather Skywarn page.

Radio Organizations

You do not have to be a radio operator to be a Skywarn storm spotter, but there are two groups of local radio communicators who activate nets during severe weather events . They are the Flagler County Assist REACT Team 4800 and the Flagler County Amateur Radio Emergency Service.

Most members of each of these organizations are trained Skywarn storm spotters. Members report sightings and observations to the net control operator, who in turn passes the information on to the forecasters at the NWS JAX headquarters. These observations are a significant help to the forecasters since radar images cannot always record low level activity.

If you are a radio operator or would like to become one, click on the links to each of these organizations for further information.

Radio Frequencies

Flagler County uses two radio services for Skywarn Nets. They are the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and either two meter or 70cm amateur radio (ham) services. OPERATING ON ANY OF THESE FREQUENCY BANDS REQUIRES A SPECIFIC FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION LICENSE. Of course anyone who has a scanner can listen in. Frequencies used are:

GMRS

462.675 PL 141.3 REACT Team 4800 Tac 8 repeater

or, if needed, either

462.600 PL 156.7 REACT Team 4800 Tac 10 repeater or
462.550 PL 141.3 REACT Team 4800 Tac 9 repeater

Amateur Radio

145.470 PL 123.0 ARES Primary Skywarn repeater

or, if needed, either

145.410 PL 123.0 ARES Secondary Skywarn repeater or
443.150 ARES Alternate Skywarn repeater

Most Skywarn Nets are "directed nets" and all radio traffic should go through the designated Net Control Station (NCS) for the duration of the net.

[NOTE: A "repeater" receives a signal on one frequency and simultaneously retransmits it on another, enabling radio operators to communicate over longer distances. Radios must be "repeater capable" to use this feature. In Flagler County, most amateur radio and GMRS repeaters are maintained by the Flagler Emergency Communications Association (FECA).]

Links to Other Sites

The following sites sites provide valuable information.

National Weather Service

National Weather Service Home Page
National Weather Service Jacksonville, FL Home Page
NWS JAX Emergency Management Page (LOTS of info)
NWS JAX Short Range Base Reflectivity Radar
NOAA Satellite Services Division
NOAA GOES Satellite Views (many options)
NWS JAX Interactive Global Geostationary Weather Satellite Images Interface
NWS JAX Severe Weather Page
NWS Weather Information for all of United States
NWS Links to NOAA Satellite Images
NWS Weather Information for Florida
NWS Melborne, FL Short Range Base Reflectivity Radar
NWS Tampa, FL Short Range Base Reflectivity Radar
All NWS Radar Sites
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center
National Weather Service National Hurricane Center
NWS JAX Tropical Weather Page
National Center for Environmental Prediction Model Analysis
NOAA Tsunami Preparedness Page
E-mail Notification of Tsunami Bulletins Signup Page