Skywarn Net The association of individuals and organizations (Amateur Radio operators, Disaster and Emergency Services (DES), ARES and RACES, law enforcement agencies and others) in active communication via radio, telephone and other methods of passing information and intelligence at the request of the National Weather Service (NWS) for the purpose of receiving and disseminating information about severe weather and damage in the control area of the local office of the National Weather Service. Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) The Kentucky 6th District ARES has been designated as the organization to organize and operate Skywarn Nets for the Louisville area National Weather Service. The Kentucky 6th District is composed of Jefferson County and six surrounding counties in the Commonwealth and corresponds to the DES 6th District in Emergency Plans. However, due to the large area comprising the area of responsibility of the Louisville office of the National Weather Service, the Skywarn Net handles information from all parts of Kentucky and Indiana. Net Control Station (NCS) The Net Control Station is the station in charge of information gathering and dissemination at the Louisville office of the National Weather Service. The Net Control Station is that station that calls the Skywarn Net into emergency session and may be any Amateur Radio operator associated with ARES who has had training in the types of information needed to be provided by the National Weather Service or who has had experience in previous net operations. Liaison Stations Liaison stations are those radio operators providing information between the National Weather Service and local organizations concerned with the current status of severe weather or other emergency conditions.
The main frequency to be used is the 146.700 repeater. This repeater is located about 20 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky at about 1,200 feet in Brooks, Kentucky.If you have a club in your area, you might want to activate a Weather Net on your repeater then have a liaison station relay your information to the National Weather Service via the 146.700 repeater and also take information back to your repeater.
Net activation occurs at the request of personnel at the Louisville office of the National Weather Service. Stations listed with information about severe weather as it forms and moves into the control area of the local National Weather Service. As soon as the radio operator arrives, he/she is to get current information from the personnel at the National Weather Service and then, at his/her discretion, activate the Skywarn Net either in emergency session or informal session. He/she will also call additional operators as needed.Informal net session occurs when conditions are favorable for possible severe weather to develop. At that time, the Net Control Station will take check ins regarding your location and availability to observe and report weather conditions.
Emergency net session occurs when severe weather is forcasted to move into the areas covered by the Louisville office of the National Weather Service. At that time, the Net Control Station will call the net into Emergency session and coordinate information flow between the National Weather Service and the Amateur Radio community. To avoid confusion, operators assuming the role of the Net Control Station shall use only the call sign of the WX4NWS while on the premises. The net shall remain in session until such time that all information has been passed regarding severe weather and resulting damage and/or the storm system has passed into control of the Jackson office or other next-closest office of the National Weather Service. Request advice of the lead meterologist before closing the station.
Since storm cells behave somewhat predictably, information detailing the following items needs to be provided: hail, high wind, heavy rain, heavy electrical activity, funnel clouds and tornados. Information is also needed indicating the storm's increasing or decreasing intensity. Increasing intensity can be defined as hail of larger size than previously reported, wind speed higher than previously reported, rain heavier than previously reported, electrical activity greater than previously reported, storms taking longer to pass through a given area than previously reported.Report Briefly:
- What you have seen: wall cloud, funnel cloud, tornado, heavy rain, hail. (Note: There is a difference between a tornado and a funnel cloud. A tornado is a funnel cloud on the ground.)
- Where you saw it: direction and distance from a known location (e.g. 3 miles south of Elizabethtown).
- When you saw it: specifically in time.
- Who saw it: the amateur radio operator, law enforcement agency, citizen, etc.
- What it was doing: describe the storm's direction and speed of travel, size and intensity.
- Identify yourself and location. Try to get confirmation from other agencies in your area.
- Keep calm. Remember, there may be scanner radio owners listening.
Do:
- Check into the net by giving your callsign and location and indicate you are standing by.
- Inform net control if you must check out or change location. Net control must know who is available.
- Give short reports when called on by net control. Report:
- Wind speed (see the chart)
- Rain intensity (visibility) and duration (partcularly rain amount in excess of one inch per hour).
- Hail size (if any) and intensity (sparse, heavy, damaging).
- Lightning
- Damage resulting from the passing of the storm.
Do Not:
- Report or rebroadcast radio or TV announcements. The National Weather Service originated the broadcasts that the commercial stations are transmitting.
- Report conditions at your location unless they are severe or more severe than previously reported (indicating increased storm intensity).
- Make long transmissions.
- Go to the weather service office unless you have been called on to do so.
- Terminate operation without net control knowing you have ended operation. If severe weather has put your station off the air, that in itself is an indication that the storm is severe.
Wind in MPH Specifications for use on land 1 - 3 Smoke rises vertically. 4 - 7 Direction of wind shown by smoke drift but not by wind vane. 8 - 12 Leaves and small twigs in constant motion - extends light flag. 13 - 18 Raises dust and loose paper; small branches move. 19 - 24 Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland water. 25 - 31 Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires. 32 - 38 Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt in walking against the wind. 39 - 46 Breaks twigs off of trees, generally impedes progress. 47 - 54 Slight structural damage occurs. 55 - 63 Seldom experienced inland. Trees uprooted, considerable damage occurs. 64 - 75 Very rarely experienced inland. Accompanied by widespread damage. HAIL - Use the following guide when reporting hail: pea sized (¼-inch diameter), marble sized (½-inch diameter), golf-ball sized (1½-inch diameter), baseball sized (2-3-inch diamter), softball sized (4-inch diameter). Reports also need to include intensity: sparse, heavy or damaging (breaking windows, etc.).
RAIN - Since the intensity of rain over a specified length of time may cause flash flooding, this type of information is of importance to the NWS. If you do not have a rain gauge, you can make your own rain gauge by placing a coffee can in an open area and measure actual rainfall with a ruler. Intensity is also an indication of increasingly severe weather so be able to relay information about decreasing visibility due to rainfall (½ mile, ¼ mile, etc. visibility).
LIGHTNING - Severe thunderstorms usually have very frequent and sometimes nearly continuous lightning. However, some non-severe thunderstorms also contain frequent and vivid electrical displays, while some severe storms are accompanied by little lightning. So use electrical activity as a tool to help interpret the increasing intensity of a storm... not as the single indicator of severity.
Below is a sample message showing the format to be used to transmit information to the NWS regarding severe weather. Please note the order of information and use that order when reporting. All underlined material should be replaced with your information.
This is WX4ME located in Hillview,KY. I report marble-sized hail, 50 MPH winds, heavy rain in Hillview,KY at 2018 Zulu. Direction of travel of this storm is northeast. Confirmation of this weather report is made by WX4ME. This is WX4ME standing by.Note: Reports can be from other sources and should be so noted. Confirmation, if readily available, should be included. Try to get the exact time of observation and direction of travel of the storm system if reported by other sources.
For your best opportunity to remain alert to severe weather, keep a NOAA Weather Alert Radio on at all times. In Louisville, NOAA Weather Radio can be found on a frequency of of 162.475 MHz. Click here for a complete listing of frequencies in the state of Kentucky.