HELLO EVERYONE THIS IS SKYWARN EMERGENCEY WEATHER COORDINATOR STEVE COOPER, THIS WEEK I AM HIGHLIGHTING ALL THE BASIC INFO OF SEVERE WEATHER EMERGENCEY AND AWARESS. TODAY WE BEGIN WITH SKYWARN................................................................

WHAT IS SKYWARN?
SINCE 1978 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DEVELOPED POWERFUL TOOLS TO WATCH FOR SEVERE WEATHER, UNFORTUNATELY SOME OF THE SEVERE WEATHER THAT WAS DETECTED ON RADAR COULD NOT BE PERPENDICTED TREMENDOUSLY. RADAR MAY BE DETECTING SEVERE WEATHER SOMEWERE IN JUST THE FORM OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WHEN IN FACT THERE MAY BE A TORNADO PRESENT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU FIND ALLOT OF DAMAGE. NOW SINCE DOPPLAR WEATHER RADAR WAS ONE OF THE MANY USEFUL TOOLS, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CREATED SEVERAL LABS THAT TRACK VIOLENT WEATHER. YOU HAVE THE (NSSL) WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL SEVERE STROMS LABRATORY THEY SEND A BUNCH OF SCIENTISTS OUT TO THROW RADIO TRANSMITTED WEATHER BALLOONS TO MEASURE SEVERE WEATHER SIMOTANIOUSLY. THEN YOU HAVE THE SPC WHICH IS THE STORMS PREDICTION CENTER THEY PREDICT SNOW STORMS SEVERE WEATHER AND THE THREATS THAT ARE GOING TO BE INVOLVED AND THE COUNTIES AND PARISHES THAT WILL SUFFER ONE OF NATURES MOST VIOLENT WEATHER. DOPPLAR WEATHER RADAR IS A GREAT TOOL USED FOR SNOW AND OR SEVERE WEATHER. DOPPLAR RADAR DETECTS TORNADOES WHICH IS THE COLOR GREEN CONTENT MOVING AWAY FROM RED CONTENT AND THE WINDS GOING IN AND OUT OF THE STORM, WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND THE STORM COMBINES AND THERE IS A STRONG ROTATION DETECTION THEN A HOOK ECHO IS INDICATED WHICH MEANS TORNADOES ARE ON THE GROUND OR MAY TOUCH DOWN. AND MEASURES THE SIZE OF HARD HITTING HAIL AND THE WIND DAMAGE THAT MAY BE DETECTED. BUT DOPPLAR WEATHER RADAR CANT TELL US FOR SURE SO THAT IS WHY WE NEED GROUND TRUTH INFORMATION FROM FIRE FIGHTERS, POLICE OFFICERS, EMERGENCEY ORGINAZATIONS OR EMTS AND THE PUBLIC, THIS GROUND TRUTH PROGRAM IS CALLED SKYWARN. SKYWARN IS A GROUP OF EMERGENCEY VOLUNTEERS THAT PUT THEIR TIME INTO WHEN SEVERE WEATHER HAPPENS. WHETHER IT MAY PRODUCE HAIL TORNADOES OR DAMAGING WINDS AND MAYBE FLOODING THATS WHY REPORTS ARE VERY USEFUL TO LET US KNOW WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON. YOU NEED TO BE AT LEAST 15 OR OLDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SKYWARN PROGRAM. REMEMBER YOUR SAFETY AS A SPOTTER PARTICIPATING IS SKYWARN COMES FIRST. HERE ARE A FEW SAFETY RULES WHILE PARTICIPATING. FIRST PAY ATTENTION TO FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WHEN SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. HAVE YOUR PARTNER TO MONITOR THE SKIES AND THE RADAR FOR ANY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. ALWAYS HAVE A NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND A MAP OF THE LOCATION AND ALL OF THE AREAS OF THE COUNTY OR PARRISH SO YOU KNOW WERE TO GO AND HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE JUST INCASE SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOU OR YOU FEEL THREATENED. ALWAYS STAY ON THE SOUTHEAST OR NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE STORM SO YOU CAN SEE WERE ITS GOING. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ACTIVATES HAMS AND ALL RADIOS WHEN SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED OR A WATCH IS ISSUED. REMEMBER SECONDS SAVE LIVES.

DAY ONE( SKYWARN)
DAY TWO(SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS)
DAY3 TORNADOES
DAY 4 LIGHTNING
DAY 5 FLOODING AND FLASHFLOODING
DAY 6 SKYWARN EMS AND FIRE RESCUE APPRECIATION DAY.

HOPE YOU HAVE FUN LEARNING THIS WEEK ABOUT SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY AND HOW FUN OR DANGEROUS IT COULD ACTUALLY BE.