Wakefield Skywarn Forum (.org site)

SKYWARN AT NWS WAKEFIELD VA

The Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Wakefield VA serves 51 counties and 15 independent cities in central and eastern Virginia, northeast North Carolina, and the lower Maryland Eastern Shore. While the capabilities of the WSR-88D (NEXRAD) have enabled us to better detect severe weather phenomena, and provide increased warning lead time, we still need ground truth to supplement our warnings. This is where you come in! We need storm spotters to provide us with vital ground truth data, especially in rural areas of our county warning area. WFO Wakefield offers training sessions throughout the year, but are most often conducted in the spring and fall. For UPCOMING training sessions, click here. Those municipalities interested in scheduling a SKYWARN session can drop a note to the NWS Wakefield Outreach team. The NWS Wakefield SKYWARN network has grown to almost 2000 members! Both Basic and Advanced SKYWARN training is free of charge and is open to the public. BASIC SKYWARN training is HIGHLY recommended before taking the ADVANCED SKYWARN session. To become a SKYWARN volunteer, you must meet the following requirements: 1) Attend the "BASIC SKYWARN class". Basic training lasts about 2 hours, and provides the student with materials and background necessary to be a spotter. FOLLOW-UP TRAINING IS REQUIRED EVERY 3 YEARS TO MAINTAIN ACTIVE SKYWARN STATUS. Click to get a copy of the Basic Spotter's Field Guide here. (File is large...and may take a few minutes to download!!!) 2) Complete the SKYWARN Sign-Up Form - These forms provided at SKYWARN training give the NWS information we use internally to contact you during severe weather. In addition, your address information allows us to plot your location on our radar displays for real-time geographical access. Please note that we'll never share your personal information with anyone! 3) Attend the "ADVANCED SKYWARN class" (optional)- The ADVANCED SKYWARN session we offer lasts about 3 hours, and builds upon principles taught in the BASIC session. Click to get a copy of the ADVANCED Spotter's Field Guide here. (File is large...and may take a few minutes to download!!!) Thank you for your interest in the SKYWARN program! Click here for our latest NEWSLETTER. What is SKYWARN Reporting Criteria? Click Here.

Spring 2010 SKYWARN Spotter Training Session Locations & Dates

NWS Wakefield Basic SKYWARN Training Presentations- (2009 version)

Part 1 & Part 2 (Power Point .PPT files).
(Files are large...and may take a few minutes to download)

Click here to view Basic Skywarn information...including our Hail and wind damage reference sheet!

NWS Wakefield Advanced SKYWARN Training Presentation

Click this button to access the National Skywarn Homepage

Click here for an on-line Storm Spotter's Guide from the National Severe Storms Laboratory

Click here to learn more about the Community Collaborative Rain, Snow and Hail network, CoCoRaHS!

Click here for the NWS Wakefield Severe Weather page

For information on how your community can prepare for hazardous weather, click here to go to the National Weather Service StormReady site.