Tornado Lookouts

SKYWARN logo Meteorologists use radar to forecast where tonadoes might form. But, the radar can't detect actual tornadoes. People are needed for that. That's a problem because people without any training don't know what to look for in a storm. To solve this problem, the National Weather Service regularly trains volunteers for the SKYWARN program. Anyone who is interested can take the classes. SKYWARN spotters form a network across an area to let the NWS know what's happening with the weather. Meteorologists use spotter reports to issue tornado warnings. Storm spotters are different than storm chasers. Spotters work in organized networks to observe severe weather for the NWS. They also only work in one area, usually their county.

Tornado Lookouts

SKYWARN logo Meteorologists use radar to forecast where tornadoes might form. But, the radar can't detect actual tornadoes. People are needed to do that. The National Weather Service can't rely on tornado reports from people off the street. These people don't have any training so they may not actually see what they think they see. Instead, the Weather Service offers classes that anyone can take to become part of SKYWARN, a network of trained volunteer spotters. Meteorologists can feel confident about the accuracy of the spotter reports. If a tornado is spotted, they can issue a tornado warning with a good degree of confidence. Storm spotters are different that storm chasers. Spotters work in organized networks to observe and confirm severe weather events for the NWS and for local emergency managers. They also only operate in a limited area, usually their county.

Tornado Lookouts

SKYWARN logo Meteorologists use radar to help forecast where tornadoes might form. But, the radar isn't sensitive enough to detect actual tornadoes. People are needed to do that. The National Weather Service can't rely on reports from any old person off the street. These people don't have any training so they may not actually see what6 they think they see. Instead, the Weather Service offers classes that anyone can take to become part of SKYWARN, a network of trained volunteer spotters. Meteorologists can trust the accuracy of the trained spotter reports. If a tornado is spotted, they can issue a tornado warning with a good degree of confidence. Storm spotting is different than storm chasing. Spotters work in organized networks to observe, detect, and verify severe weather events for the NWS and for local emergency managers. Local SKYWARN organizations are run on a county level, so spotters usually stay within or near their county.

Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

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