SKYWARN Weather Reporting
About SKYWARN
The SKYWARN program is a loosely organized nationwide group of volunteers who are trained to recognize and report severe weather events to the National Weather Service. The goal is to save lives by improving warning accuracy. Since the 1970s, ordinary citizens have given their time and skills to the SKYWARN program, and amateur (“ham”) radio has played an important role in collecting these reports.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma, locally administers the SKYWARN program throughout Comanche County. (https://www.weather.gov/oun/skywarn)
The Comanche County SKYWARN Amateur Radio Support Team was founded in January 2025 and provides communications support and additional community outreach services for the SKYWARN program. The team consists of specially trained, FCC-licensed amateur radio operators (“hams”) who operate on-air communication networks to collect and relay reports and requests for information between the Forecast Office and the amateur radio community.
All licensed amateur radio operators are encouraged to check in to our nets and call in reports of severe weather events as they happen. Interested in becoming a licensed ham? Contact us for information on how you can get started in this exciting hobby.
Mission Statement
“The Comanche County SKYWARN Amateur Radio Support Team exists to provide communication services for the collection of severe weather reports and dissemination of critical weather information in support of the National Weather Service and its mission to protect life and property by improving warning accuracy.”
Spotter Training Information
National Weather Service Employees handle Spotter Training. Classes are scheduled each year, mainly in the spring. They are two to three hours long, and the training is good for three years. At that point, Spotters must take current training to recertify for another three years. Both Basic and Advanced Spotter training is available.
Basic Spotter training is the minimum requirement for SKYWARN Spotters and covers the basics of severe weather identification and reporting. Advanced Spotter training covers more advanced topics such as radars, severe weather climatology, and weather science topics.
Either Basic or Advanced Spotter training may be used for three-year re-certification. Basic training is a pre-requisite for Advanced training.
NWS Norman Spotter Schedule (https://www.weather.gov/oun/spottertalk)
Register for SKYWARN: https://rb.gy/sd2t0c
Updated: January 18, 2025