SKYWARN Weather Spotters Training

The SKYWARN^TM spotter program is a nationwide network of volunteers trained by the National Weather Service that provides them with timely and accurate severe weather reports. Reports arrive from volunteer citizens with access to a phone or internet, citizen band radio operators, or licensed Amateur Radio Operators which are then used to send out warnings and short-term forecasts to the public.

Anyone interested in getting involved in SKYWARN need to satisfy only a small criteria. You must be at least 16 years old, be able to observe weather (though no instruments are required), and have access to a telephone to call in reports, or be an amateur radio operator.

You must take our SKYWARN class which is a 3-hour seminar that teaches you the basics of how SKYWARN operates, how to spot severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, what to report, how to report, and when.  

After the class, you are given a SKYWARN  ID and certificate which confirms your training, and written instructions of what to report and how. There is no cost for the class, which is held at various locations throughout the region.