Skywarn Operations

Skywarn Operating Instructions
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin

Green Bay National Weather Service & Packerland Area Skywarn Society

Manitowoc County is one of 22 counties within the Green Bay National Weather Service territory.  All reporting of severe weather observations within Manitowoc County are to be reported to the GB-NWS Office.

Reporting can be made by: 

• GB NWS toll-free hotline 1-800-788-6883, 

• the Green Bay Spotter website (https://www.weather.gov/crh/stormreports?sid=grb), 

• the mobile app mPing (https://mping.nssl.noaa.gov/) or 

• by email (nws.greenbay@noaa.gov).  

In the past the NWS Green Bay office operated an amateur radio station.  This resource has been discontinued.  However, Manitowoc County amateur radio Skywarn spotters are still encouraged to operate a local net on the W9RES-VHF repeater, and then designate a liaison station to collect reportible events and submit the information via the toll-free hotline, the website, mobile phone app MPing, or EMail.  

Manitowoc County Skywarn Net and Spotters

Manitowoc County Skywarn is administered by the Manitowoc County ARES.  There is no requirement for a Manitowoc Skywarn participant to be an ARES member.  The only requirement to participate in a Manitowoc County Skywarn net is NWS provided formal training within the last four (4) calendar years; two (2) years strongly preferred.  This training requirement comes from the GB-NWS, not Manitowoc Co. ARES.

Manitowoc County Skywarn nets are directed nets.  As a directed net, all Spotters and the Liaison are expected to checkin formally with the Net Control Station and not leave the net without notification to and acknowledgment by the NCS.

Net Control Station:  

Any participant in Manitowoc County Skywarn can be a Net Control Station (NCS).  The primary responsibility of the NCS is to collect and relay reports of severe weather.

Net Liaison to WX9GRB:  

The Skywarn Net Liaison to NWS Green Bay should not be the NCS or a local Spotter.  The primary responsibility of the Liaison is to handle traffic between the Manitowoc County Skywarn net and one of the reportng portals listed above.  

Local Spotters:  

Local Spotters must have current GB-NWS Skywarn training.  Only reportable severe weather criteria observations should be provided to the NCS.  The observation reported must include the current location of the observer and the time of observation.  The report should be made as soon as possible after the observation.  Non-criteria observations should not be reported to the NCS.

Mobile Local Spotters:  

Mobile Local Spotters should never “self dispatch” him (her) self.  Mobile Spotters must recognize that he (she) bears all liability once mobilized, and should always exercise prudent judgment based on personal observations of local conditions.  The NCS will accept reports from mobile spotters, but will not direct a mobile spotter.

Reportable Severe Weather Criteria

The following are the reportable severe weather criteria of the GB NWS Office:

• Tornado / Waterspout on the ground / water,

• Funnel cloud aloft,

• Wall clouds (indicate rotating, or not),

• Winds greater than 50 MPH, based on actual measurement or estimated based on observed damage,

• Floods or Flash Flooding,

• Hail of any size, reporting the actual hail dimensional size and how dense (depth on the ground), and

• Observed storm damage such as parked vehicles blown/rolled over, blown out windows by the force of the wind, or downed trees.

• Snowfall > 3 inches,

Further detail can be found in the GB-NWS handout material from the last training session the participant attended, or from the GB-NWS self study website listed in following references.

Skywarn Net Activations

Skywarn Nets should be activated for any obviously rapidly deteriorating weather situation, based on three conditions; 

1. when radar shows a potentially severe storm within 30 miles of impacting Manitowoc County, 

2. when an adjacent county is under a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Warning, or 

3. when requested by NWS Green Bay or Manitowoc County Emergency Management.

Manitowoc County Skywarn nets will operate on the following frequencies:

1. 146.895 MHz, PL 146.2 (W9RES)

2. 146.610 MHz. PL 107.2 (W9DK)

3. 443.150 MHz, +5 MHz offset.  Pl 100.0 (W9RES - UHF/Wires-X) or

4. 146.520 MHz Simplex (move off the National Calling Frequency once the net is established; 146.550 or 146.580 MHz are suggested because they are pre-programmed into all ARES base stations and HT’s)

If the NCS feels that inadequate Skywarn member participation is occurring, he (she) should contact the ARES Emergency Coordinator or any of the Assistant Emergency Coordinators to initiate a CallingPost telephone notification to all Skywarn Participants.

References

• https://www.weather.gov/grb/skywarn

• http://www.arrl.org/files/media/News/ARRL-NWS_MOU_June2011.pdf