The National Weather Service (NWS), in cooperation with other organizations, has established the SKYWARN local severe weather spotting network. The program is an effort to save lives and property during severe weather emergencies. All you need to do to become a member of the SKYWARN volunteer network is an interest in watching the sky and a dedication to helping save lives.

Doppler radar, called NEXRAD (NEXt generation RADar), was designed to improve detection of severe storms so that the NWS can provide more accurate and timely warnings to the public. SKYWARN is an integral part of this detection and warning process. NEXRAD will help locate and track potentially severe and dangerous storms, but it is SKYWARN spotters that report what the storm is actually doing (trees blown down, a tornado on the ground, flood waters washing out a bridge, a dangerous glaze of ice on roads and wires). SKYWARN spotters are trained to spot tornadoes, funnel clouds, and severe thunderstorms. They are told how to report hail, strong winds, heavy rain, floods, and snow. Forecasters combine information from spotters with that of radar, satellite and other tools. This information is then used to provide appropriate warnings for communities in the path of the storm and to keep people informed about what is happening and what steps they may need to take to protect themselves.

SKYWARN Works With ARES and RACES

Amateur radio operators (Hams) are ideally equipped to contribute to the SKYWARN program. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), a public service organization of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment for communications duty when disaster strikes or for public events. Additional information on Emergency Communications is contained in:

• Amateur Radio Emergency Communications - A Public Service
• Backgrounder: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

WeatherMichigan SKYWARN Pages:

• SKYWARN Observer's Guide
• Do-It-Yourself Weather Forecasting

Other Emergency Services Information:

• Michigan Disaster Center
• National SKYWARN Page
• The American Red Cross is the largest humanitarian organization, helping over 30 million people each year prevent, prepare for and cope with emergencies.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
  Office of Emergency Information and Public Affairs,
  Washington, DC, USA
  Hundreds of pages of information on a variety of emergency management, disaster preparedness, response and recovery topics. News Desk provides latest disaster news releases.
• Internet Disaster Information Center
  The Internet Disaster Information Network, provided as a public service by Internet Direct and Telekachina Productions, helps to distribute the latest news on disaster situations to the Internet community via the World Wide Web.