Each year, the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Wakefield VA travel to many of the 51 counties and 15 independent cities in Central and Eastern Virginia, Northeastern North Carolina, and the lower Maryland Eastern Shore to provide a detailed SKYWARN Weather Awareness training session. 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 more than 2400 members! Both Basic and Advanced SKYWARN training is free of charge and is open to the public. BASIC SKYWARN training MUST be completed before taking the ADVANCED SKYWARN session. To become a SKYWARN volunteer, you must meet the following requirements:
 NEW: On-line SKYWARN Spotter Training - This course was developed by COMET which is a program that supports, enhances and stimulates learning about atmospheric and related sciences. It was not developed by the National Weather Service and does NOT replace the need to attend regular National Weather Service spotter training classes!
The goal of the course is to provide baseline training for all spotters through multiple modules covering the procedures for spotting (including communication and spotter report criteria) and safety considerations for all hazards. There are presently two modules available including the Role of the SKYWARN Spotter and SKYWARN Spotter Convective Basics. Students must register on the MetEd website to take these courses.
To register as a Wakefield SKYWARN Spotter: Register as a SKYWARN Spotter at the end of the on-line course and then complete our SKYWARN registration form and email to our SKYWARN coordinator, Mike Montefusco.
1) Attend the "BASIC SKYWARN class". SKYWARN classes are free and the general public are encouraged to attend a presentation in your area! The 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 are provided at SKYWARN training and 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 lasts approximately 3 hours, and builds upon principles taught in the BASIC session. Attendance at an NWS Wakefield Basic SKYWARN session is recommended before attending a basic SKYWARN 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!
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What is SKYWARN Reporting Criteria? Click Here. |
NWS Wakefield
Basic SKYWARN Training Presentation- (2010 version)***
Click here to view Basic Skywarn information...including our Hail and wind damage reference sheet!
NWS Wakefield Advanced SKYWARN Training Presentation***
***These are MS Office 2007 Powerpoints, and are large in SIZE. if you need these in other formats contact the NWS.
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 (Opens new page. File size is large...please be patient!)
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.
www.nws.noaa.gov
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