TriadSKYWARN.Com

Severe Weather Potential Tonight and early Thursday

2012-02-28T08:40:00.001-05:00

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
441 AM EST WED FEB 29 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TWO IS POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL NC TONIGHT. THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT APPEARS GREATEST BETWEEN 10 PM AND 2 AM IN THE WEST...AND BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 4 AM IN THE EAST.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA SATURDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. SPOTTERS SHOULD KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND THIS EVENING.

2012 SPOTTER TRAINING SCHEDULE:

2012-02-12T18:34:00.000-05:00

For those interested in becoming a SKYWARN Spotter, as well as those trained Spotters who have not had a refresher in the past 2 years, please try to attend one of the classes listed below.

Upcoming NWS Spotter Training classes scheduled by the NWS Raleigh Office:

Date and Time	Training	City	Location	Notes
02/22/12 630pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public	Lexington	Southmont Fire Department(11030 NC Highway 8 Lexington, NC 27292)	--
02/23/12 730pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public	Cary	White Plains United Methodist Church (313 SE Maynard Road, Cary, NC)	Sponsored by the Cary Amateur Radio Club
3/5/12 730pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM - Basic Spotter Training - Open to the public	Fuquay-Varina	Fuquay-Varina Presbyterian Church (307 N. Ennis St, Fuquay-Varina, NC)	Sponsored by the South Wake Amateur Radio Club
3/6/12 7pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM -Advanced Spotter Training - Open to the public	Winston-Salem	Cooperative Extension Building, Auditorium B(1450 Fairchild Rd Winston-Salem, NC)	Please note that this will be the only "Advanced" training opportunity in 2012 for the Triad area, so don't miss out!
3/8/12 7pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public	Cary	Cary Senior Center at Bond Park(120 Maury O'Dell Place Cary, NC)	--
3/8/12 7pm-9pm	Skywarn^TM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public	Greensboro	UNC Greensboro - Exact meeting room to be determined, and will be announced soon.	Multi-club and multi-agency sponsored spotter training event. Please note that this will be the only basic spotter training offered right in Greensboro in 2012. Don't miss out!
4/7/12 11am-1pm	Skywarn^TM - BASIC Spotter Training - Open to the public	Raleigh	Jim Graham Building - NC State Fairgrounds (1025 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh NC 27607)	Sponsored by the Raleigh Amateur Radio Society's "RARSFest". Please note that the training time is subject to change. Please check back for updates.

Classes scheduled by the NWS Blacksburg, VA Office for the Virginia border counties are listed below:

March 8
2012

Rockingham

Reidsville, NC

Emergency Operations Center
150 NC Hwy 65

6:30 PM

* Please check each NWS Office web site for updates to the above schedules.

NATIONAL HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK - MAY 22 THRU 28

2011-05-22T18:36:00.007-04:00

The 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season starts June 1st!

Forecasts are once again calling for an active tropical season! While forecast capabilities continue to improve, we really never know when and where a landfalling tropical system will strike! Despite the increasing prediction accuracy, it is how we prepare and respond to these storms as both individuals and communities that makes a difference.

Below are a several web links that provide information related to Hurricane Preparedness Week:

Hurricane Preparedness: http://http//www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/prepared_week.shtml

NC Preparedness: http://readync.org/index.cfm?espanol=0&topic=27&on=Hurricane

Hurricane Basics: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/basics.shtml

Hurricane Weather School: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/tropics/tc.htm

A couple of great Youtube videos related to NC Disasters are located here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcK5Q-c-Iq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9EHiR7Gp74

NATIONAL FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK

2011-03-15T20:05:00.005-04:00

March 14th - 18th is National Flood Safety Awareness Week.

Flooding is a coast to coast threat to the United States and its territories in all months of the year. National Flood Safety Awareness Week is intended to highlight some of the many ways floods can occur, the hazards associated with floods, and what you can do to save life and property.

For more information regarding National Flood Safety Awareness Week, please visit the following web site for links to valuable information related to flooding:

http://www.weather.gov/floodsafety/

Severe Weather Awareness Week in N.C. (Feb 28th - Mar 5th)

2011-02-27T10:05:00.013-05:00

Governor Beverly Perdue has declared this week as North Carolina's Severe Weather Awareness Week.

The goal is to spread educational messages about how to prepare for various types of severe weather from tornadoes to flooding and lightning.

The Statewide Tornado Drill will take place Wednesday March 2nd at 9:30am. The tornado drill will be broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio and will activate the State's Emergency Alert System, including local radio and cable TV stations. Everyone is encouraged to utilize this drill to put their safety plans into practice.

Each day this week the National Weather Service will highlight a different topic via the internet, as well as NOAA Weather Radio covering various severe weather related topics. Each days topic is outlined here:

Sunday - Severe Weather Awareness Week Begings:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Sunday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Monday - Severe Thunderstorms/Hail/Damaging Winds:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Monday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Tuesday - Lightning:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Tuesday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Wednesday - Torndaoes:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Wednesday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Thursday - Flooding:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Thursday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Friday - Alert Process:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Friday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Saturday - Preparedness:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/news/content/Saturday_Severe_Statement.pdf

Other useful web links of interest can be found by clicking on the links below:

NOAA Weather Radio: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/nwr/
Tornadoes: http://www.fema.gov/hazard/tornado/index.shtm
Lightning: http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/
Flood Safety: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/floodsafety/

El Niño Arrives; Expected to Persist through Winter 2009-10

2009-07-24T22:01:00.001-04:00

NOAA has released additional information about the most recent SST / El Nino Click on this link to read the entire story.

* 2009 Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 24th - May 30th 2009)

2009-07-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the affects of a hurricane disaster.

The goal of Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 24th - May 30th 2009) is to is to provide knowledge which can be used to take action and protect lives and property while at work or at home, whether on the road or on the water.

You should be able to answer the following questions before a tropical system threatens:

What are the hazards
How will this affect me
What actions should I take to be prepared

In order to assist you with decision making and common sense, each day this week the National Weather Service has highlighted a different topic relating to the history, affects, forecasts, preparedness and actions required when confronting land falling tropical systems such as hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions; these topics and their appropriate links are listed below:

Sunday - Hurricane History

Monday - Storm Surge

Tuesday - High Winds

Wednesday - Inland Flooding

Thursday - Forecast Process

Friday - Be Prepared

Saturday - Take Action

It is important for your family/work to have a plan that includes the potential hazards. Look carefully at the safety actions associated with each type of tropical system hazard and prepare your family/work disaster plan accordingly.

(More information can be found by visiting the following web site: National Hurricane Preparedness Week )

* NATIONAL LIGHTNING AWARENESS WEEK - JUNE 21st - 27

2009-07-24T21:48:00.001-04:00

Lightning is one of the most deadly and damaging types of weather we face here in North Carolina and it typically does not receive enough attention.

In the United States, an average of 62 people are killed each year by lightning. Already in 2009, 15 people have died due to lightning strikes. In 2008, 28 people were struck and killed by lighting in the U.S.; hundreds of others were injured. Of the victims who were killed by lightning in 2008:

100% were outside
79% were male
36% were males between the ages of 20-25
32% were standing under a tree
29% occurred on or near the water

For more information regarding lightning safety, please visit the following web page:

NOAA's Lightning Safety Website

The History of Triad SKYWARN

2009-07-24T21:17:00.000-04:00

1980's - Our origins can be dated back prior to the 1984 "Carolinas Outbreak" of tornadoes which brought about an increased interest in the SKYWARN program across North Carolina. Up until that time, the amateur radio effort out of the Greensboro National Weather Service Office was the only one in the state.

1991 - First formally organized as "Greensboro SKYWARN" through the former Greensboro National Weather Service Office. This was the first effort to bring an existing amateur radio "Weather Net" that dated back to prior to 1984 into a formal NWS SKYWARN Organization. During this time, NWS SKYWARN Protocols and formal Spotter Training Classes were initiated.

1994 - Became "Triad SKYWARN" after the National Weather Service re-organization which decommissioned the old Greensboro NWS Office at Piedmont Triad International Airport. (Incidentally, NWS weather ballon launchs continue out of PTI on a daily basis.)

1994 - With the re-organization of NWS Offices and their respective County Warning Areas (CWAs), Triad SKYWARN began serving the Raleigh National Weather Service Office, as well as a second National Weather Service Office in Blacksburg, VA due to the inclusion of the Virginia border counties of Surry, Stokes, Rockingham and Caswell into their newly defined CWA.

2002 - Triad SKYWARN moved its primary operating frequency from 145.250 mhz W4GG repeater to the newly commisioned 147.255 mhz K4ITL Asheboro repeater due to its ability to cover the entire 12 counties within the Triad SKYWARN area.

2003 - With the inactivity of the former "Sandhills SKYWARN Program", Triad SKYWARN expanded from 9 to 12 counties with the adoption of Stanly, Montgomery and Moore Counties by request form the NWS Raleigh Office.

Triad SKYWARN has a long history of volunteer public service to the National Weather Service over the past 30 years, including many memorable severe and winter weather events which have had a significant impact on central North Carolina, and we look forward to continuing to enhance the NWS forecasts many years into the future by providing "ground truth" observations during inclement weather events.

(Historical data provided by the present and former Emergency Coordiantors of the Greensboro/Triad SKYWARN Progarm: Steve Marks - N4SCM, Bill Boyes - KB1G and John Hamilton - NC4JH)

What is Triad SKYWARN?

2009-07-24T21:13:00.000-04:00

Triad SKYWARN is an organization of severe weather spotters trained by the National Weather Service. Many of our Spotters are amateur radio operators who make use of portable and mobile radios to report severe weather conditions to the National Weather Service Offices in Raleigh, NC and Blacksburg, VA. The NWS Office also has a toll free telephone number for severe weather reports. These reports are used to verify existing severe weather warnings and are often used to assist the meteorologists in determining when and where additional warnings should be issued.

Our trained severe weather spotters volunteer many hours each year to support the SKYWARN program. We are responsible for providing severe weather information to and from counties in and around the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina in cooperation with the National Weather Service Offices in Raleigh, NC and Blacksburg, VA.

The affected counties include Alamance, Caswell, Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Stanly, Stokes, and Surry Counties.

During severe weather events, Triad SKYWARN will be active on the 147.255 mhz K4ITL Asheboro repeater so that any reports of severe weather may be relayed to and from the National Weather Service.

Leadership Team

The leadership team is comprised of amateurs from around the Triad who coordinate the activities of Triad SKYWARN. The team is made up of an Emergency Coordinator, an Assistant Emergency Coordinator (AEC) for Operations, a Net Manager, and an AEC for each of the coutnies in the Triad SKYWARN area.

Emergency Coordinator = John Hamilton - NC4JH

AEC Operations = Phil Owen - N1XLP

Net Manager = Rick Howell - AE4RH

AEC Alamance = Vacant

AEC Caswell = Vacant

AEC Davidson = Vacant

AEC Forsyth = Vacant

AEC Guilford = Rick Howell - AE4RH

AEC Montgomery = Vacant

AEC Moore = Raymond Arnold - KG4CPM

AEC Randolph = Rick Howell - AE4RH

AEC Rockingham = Vacant

AEC Stanly = Vacant

AEC Stokes = Vacant

AEC Surry = Vacant

Weekly Information Nets

2009-07-24T21:11:00.000-04:00

Every Tuesday night at 8:30 Triad SKYWARN holds a Weekly Training Net on the primary 147.255 K4ITL Asheboro repeater. The net runs approximately 30 minutes and includes:

Local Amateur Check-Ins
Announcements from the Leadership Team
A Training Topic for Spotters (when applicable)

Net Control Stations (NCS)

2009-07-24T21:10:00.000-04:00

Net Control Stations are volunteers who have gone through specific training to coordinate and manage the Severe Weather and Weekly Information Nets. The NCS will coordinate all traffic on the repeater when Triad SKYWARN is in either a Standby, Active, or Emergency Mode. If you have traffic for a net, please call the NCS station to relay pertinent information.

Triad SKYWARN is always looking for more qualified amateur radio stations who would like to volunteer to act as a NCS during Severe Weather Nets and Weekly Information Nets.

Net Scripts can be found on our Yahoo Group Site.

If you are interested in becoming a Net Control Operator, please contact the Emergency Coordinator.

Severe Weather Nets

2009-07-24T21:09:00.001-04:00

The mission of SKYWARN is to provide time sensitive "ground truth" information to the National Weather Service on severe weather. The National Weather Service uses this information to issue or verify Watches and Warnings for specific areas. Triad SKYWARN will activate a Severe Weather Net at the request of the National Weather Service or at the discretion of the SKYWARN Leadership team to collect spotter reports throughout the Triad.

Net Procedures

Whenever severe weather threatens, spotters are requested to monitor the primary 147.255 K4ITL repeater to relay reports to the National Weather Service. If SKYWARN is active, you will hear a Net Control Station making announcements and/or the courtesy tone of the repeater will be changed to a CW "S" to signify that SKYWARN is active. SKYWARN has three activation modes depending on the current situation:

Standby - Severe weather is threatening but has not entered the area.
Active - Severe weather has entered the area and Skywarn Net Control Stations are taking and soliciting reports from the coverage area
Emergency - Severe weather is impacting a specific location and the NCS is soliciting specific reports from a certain location.

IMPORTANT - Spotter Reports are always wanted when severe weather threatens, however there is specific reporting Criteria that has been defined by the National Weather Service. If you do not have criteria reports, please do not provide a non-criteria report unless the NCS station specifically requests it.

Reporting Criteria for SKYWARN

2009-07-24T21:07:00.000-04:00

Severe Weather Reporting Criteria

Rotating Wall clouds, Funnel clouds, Tornadoes
Hail (1 inch - quarter (25 cent) size - or larger)
Winds that cause damage to large limbs and structures
Rains that flood areas that are not normally prone to flooding
Significant storm damage: downed trees or power lines

Rain Event Reporting Procedures
From time to time the National Weather Service requests information from spotters on rain amounts across the Triad. Please monitor this website, the yahoo group and the net frequency to get notified the time schedule for reporting. When it is requested, the net will activate to collect the following information:

Total amount of rain having fallen since Midnight
Amount of rain having fallen in the last hour
Amount of rain having fallen since the last report
Other variables requested by NWS

Winter Weather Reporting Procedures
Nets are regularly requested by the National Weather Service during times of Winter Weather events. Please monitor this webpage, the yahoo group and the net frequency to get notified of the time schedule for Winter Weather Nets. Below are the conditions that are normally requested by the National Weather Service in Raleigh. (Net Control Operators can use this form for reporting purposes)

Precipitation Type
Precipitation Rate (light, moderate, heavy)
Changes in Precipitation Type
Accumulation
Temperature
Wind Speed and Direction
Sustained Power Outages (not on and off blinks)