SKYWARN Reporting Criteria

SKYWARN Logo The SKYWARN program exists to provide the National Weather Service (NWS) with critical on site data to assist in the process of identifying hazardous conditions, assessing damage and damage potential and support the severe weather warning process. There are specific criteria for what consitutes an appropriate spotter report.

General Considerations

  • Conditions should be OBSERVED by the spotter! - Reports relayed from scanners and other sources are not useful. There are other pathways for those sources of information to get to NWS and such reports are often duplicated as a result.
  • When in doubt, report the condition.

Tornados

  • Tornadoes
  • Funnel Clouds
  • Rotating Wall Clouds

Hail

  • Provide size of hail compared to US coins

Wind

  • Report gusts in excess of 50 mph estimated or measured

Flooding

  • Sreams, creeks or rivers out of their banks
  • Roads made impassible due to high water

Rain

  • An inch or more of rain accumulation per hour measured in rain gauge

Damage

  • Any structural damage from wind, hail or lightning
  • Downed trees, large branches or power lines

Please keep in mind that not all reports make it to the NWS. If your report clearly meets the above criteria, it will be relayed immediately. If not, the Net Control Operator will make a determination if the report meets the spirit of NWS requirements and will relay as appropriate. Please also keep in mind that Net Control Operators also frequently report conditions to the Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and may need reports of additional conditions that might not rise to the level of relay to NWS. When in doubt, report the condition.

Reports by Radio

  • Remain calm
  • Identify with your callsign and wait to be acknowledged
  • Report condition
  • indicate the exact location where the issue is occurring including city or town and nearest intersection
  • Net Control will acknowledge your traffic and ask any needed questions

Reports via MeshCore

  • Remain calm
  • Utilize the #skywarn channel
  • @Net Control Operator, Report condition
  • indicate the exact location where the issue is occurring including city or town and nearest intersection
  • if necessary use more than one message to convey details
  • Net Control will acknowledge your traffic and ask any needed questions
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