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SKYWARN Online Training (Fall Session)

Posted on by VA3DBJ

Booking now for fall sessions

SKYWARN™ is a national effort to save lives during severe weather emergencies with an expanding network of trained weather spotters. The services performed by SKYWARN™ spotters have saved many lives.

The National Weather Service has a number of devices for detecting severe thunderstorms. Included in these are Doppler radar, satellite, and lightning detection networks.  However, the most important tool for observing thunderstorms is the trained eye of the storm spotter.

By providing observations, SKYWARN™ spotters assist National Weather Service members in their warning decisions and enable the National Weather Service to fulfill its mission of protecting life and property.

Storm spotters are, and always will be, an indispensable part of the severe local warning program.

The National Weather Service office in Buffalo participates in the annual  ARRL – SKYWARN™ special event.  For details on the national event, QSL instructions and the rest of the statistics, check out the Special event homepage.

NWS Buffalo SKYWARN™Training Sessions

SKYWARN™ is a nationwide program of spotters that report severe weather to the National Weather Service. Anyone can become a SKYWARN™ spotter for the National Weather Service, all you have to do is attend one of our Spotter Training Sessions. There is no charge for the training.

SKYWARN™ training sessions are held throughout our area of responsibility based on demand. SKYWARN training sessions for Severe Convective Weather (Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Flash Floods, etc.) are conducted from March through May. SKYWARN training sessions for Winter Weather are conducted from September through November. The basic training session provides a brief overview to the National Weather Service (the organization and our responsibilities), the equipment we use (including capabilities and limitations), and basic severe weather meteorology (including how thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes form). Training sessions last about two hours.

SKYWARN training sessions for Winter Weather are conducted from September through November. 

Attendees are instructed what types of severe weather the National Weather Service is interested in hearing about and are given an 800 telephone number for 24 hour access make reports directly to the NWS forecasters.

For more information, please contact:
Mike Fries — [email protected] — WFO Buffalo, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
Jon Hitchcock — [email protected] — WFO Buffalo, SKYWARN Program Coordinator

Fall 2021 Training Schedule

Note: Fall training covers winter storms, lake effect snow, measuring snow, reporting to the NWS, and winter weather safety. All of the scheduled training sessions will cover the same material

DATETIMECOUNTYLOCATIONORGANIZATION
Monday 10/25/2111 AMOnlineOnlineRegistration Required!NWS Buffalo Click Here for Registration
Tuesday 11/2/217 PMOnlineOnline Registration Required!NWS Buffalo Click Here for Registration
Tuesday 11/16/217 PMOnlineOnlineRegistration Required!NWS Buffalo Click Here for Registration
Wednesday 12/1/217 PMOnlineOnlineRegistration Required!NWS Buffalo Click Here for Registration

For more information from NOAA NWS Buffalo, click here.

National Weather Service Dropping High Seas and Storm Warnings on WWV/WWVH

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The National Weather Service (NWS) is discontinuing its high seas and storm warnings transmitted via National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) WWV/WWVH time and frequency-standard HF transmissions, starting January 31 at 1800 UTC. The NWS warnings are aimed at the Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific.

“This service is being terminated because weather information in the current broadcast format does not support frequent-enough updates for changes in marine weather and cannot provide enough detail in the allotted window required by mariners to avoid hazardous weather,” NWS said in announcing the discontinuation. “Additionally, alternative technologies and numerous media outlets that provide weather information in various formats have overtaken the need for providing weather information through the NIST frequency signals.”

The NWS said other sources of marine weather information, high seas alerts, and detailed forecasts are available over satellite, telephone, the internet, marine fax, radio fax, and VHF radio. The NWS, US Coast Guard, and US Navy provide multiple dissemination methods for storm positioning, high sea areas, observations, forecasts, outlooks, and warnings for both coastal and oceanic marine zones near the US, all through a variety of technologies, including NAVTEX and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

Source ARRL