New Area Agreement
The Sherburne County and West Metro Skywarn groups have developed an accord and will be providing Service to the entire area. Nick Elms will be Coordinating The West Metro Group as he has and I will be continuing to coordinate the Sherburne/Fringe areas. The 146.970 will be the primary Sherburne Repeater with the 147.000 as backup. Net Controllers will be providing coverage as usual with the addition of Rob Youcha KC0WEO as an additional Net Controller for Sherburne County.
Net Controls: KC0UPL
KC0MVT
KC0WEO
Wright County, WX0SVR is the call sign for the 147.000 Net Control. The Wright County system is automated and will announce reports and emergency net status periodically. Forecasting direction will be taken from WX0SVR for the entire area. The backup repeaters, 147.775 (Big Lake) and the Metro Repeaters, 146.860 and 147.210 will also be available. Net Controllers will still utilize the 147.345 to relay reports to K0MPX.
Net Controls: KC0UPL
KC0MVT
KC0WEO
Wright County, WX0SVR is the call sign for the 147.000 Net Control. The Wright County system is automated and will announce reports and emergency net status periodically. Forecasting direction will be taken from WX0SVR for the entire area. The backup repeaters, 147.775 (Big Lake) and the Metro Repeaters, 146.860 and 147.210 will also be available. Net Controllers will still utilize the 147.345 to relay reports to K0MPX.
Skywarn Frequencies
Skywarn, Storm Spotter, & Amatuer Radio Frequencies for East Central MN
146.850 Metro Skywarn North Metro (Oakdale)
147.210 Metro Skywarn South Metro (Burnsville)
162.150 Metro Skywarn Emergency Ops Center to NWS Chanhassen
146.760 Metro Skywarn Backup
147.120 Metro Skywarn Backup
145.450 Metro Skywarn Backup
145.170 Metro Skywarn Backup
146.670 Metro Skywarn Backup
147.390 Metro Skywarn Backup
147.105 Avon, MN
147.195 Balsam Lake, WI
146.640 Cambridge, MN
147.015 Collegeville, MN
146.730 Forest Lake, MN
147.345 Holcomb, MN
147.375 Hutchinson, MN
146.610 LeSueur, MN
147.240 Mankato, MN
147.315 North Branch, MN
145.270 Paynesville, MN
147.300 Red Wing, MN
146.625 Siren, WI
147.105 Stearns County Skywarn
146.940 Stearns County Skywarn 2
146.835 Stearns County Skywarn 3
146.940 Waseca, MN
146.910 Willmar, MN
146.460 Simplex
146.520 Simplex
146.550 Simplex
NWS Weather Radio Frequencies
162.550 Channel 1
162.400 Channel 2
162.475 Channel 3
162.425 Channel 4
162.450 Channel 5
162.500 Channel 6
162.525 Channel 7
Page B. Specifics of Operations.
Now we will look at specific Sherburne County
operations.
1). We operate on a main Frequency of 146.970Mhz as pimary
frequency, Back up Frequency is 147.000 with 146.775 Big lake as a back up.
Our operating area is within the confines of Sherburne County, Northwestern Anoka
County, Southwestern Isanti County and Southern Mille Lacs County.
Advise net control of your location at all times, even if you have to
move and seek shelter. If you are coming to or going from work your
family may not know where you are if you have not checked with them.
They may call net control asking where you are.
If your are injured or become incapcitated we have to have a
point of reference in order to get help to you. This also assists in
knowing exactly where a storm is and where to send resources if the
storm injures someone or causes casualties. Or if power lines are down
or flooded roadways with running water occurs.
Primary Net Control is KC0UPL #6051 in Elk River. Secondary Net Controls
when primary is unavailable are KC0MVT-4715 in Zimmerman. and KC0WEO-3913 in St. Francis.
Are available
Weather reports will go through net control unless you are unable to contact net
control by radio.
In that case,
switch to 147.000 and call
Wright County Skywarn WX0SVR, Identify yourself by call sign, Sherburne
Skywarn #1234 and give your report ending with your call sign. Or try the
145.850 Metro Skywarn also 147.210 if necessary.
Report only those conditions which you have been trained to report.
In certain circumstances we do have to know what is happening in the
field and your information is vital and must be accurate. i.e. If a
tornado has struck a set of train cars and one or more of those cars
contains hazardous materials you have to be able to tell some basic
details as we do live near railroad lines. The placard on the railcar
you can see if what does it read? Do Not Go up to see what is says.
If you are in a close vicinity to that type of incident you are in the
effected area and have to be seen by EMS for possible contamination. Try
and stay upwind of the area and make sure you do not go into the area
only in cases where life threatening injured people are there, then
common sense tells you what to do.
If people are nearby and are injured? How many? what types of injuries
are there? We need this information to pass on to dispatchers
and their first responders. So you can see how critical a spotters role is.
If you are first aid qualified you have a duty to attend to those
injured.
this is covered by good samaritan laws. And also Federal Volunteer
Protection Act.
If a tornado strikes a home near you and their are victims inside
or in the area we need to know that. Be extremely careful of using
radios around damaged home as LP Gas, Natural Gas may be leaking
and RF Radiation will trigger an explosion.
Also downed live
electrical lines are a hazard, know where they are always observe
any scene carefully and note hazards to you and other people.
victims may be in shock and walking around looking for their
families, stop them, keep them calm, be sensitive, do not say
anything about any fatalities you observe, reassure them help is
on the way and the best way they can help is to stay calm.
Get
them a blanket or a jacket, treat obvious injuries within your
scope of training. The radio net will be obviously busy, report
in very brief terms of what is happening. By this time the EOC,
(Emergency Operations Center) will have taken control of the Net
but net controllers still have to pass on vital information and
can assist the EOC by phone and radio, but the primary controller
at this point would be the EOC and radio discipline and pro-
ffesionalism even in this type of situation must be maintained.
operations.
1). We operate on a main Frequency of 146.970Mhz as pimary
frequency, Back up Frequency is 147.000 with 146.775 Big lake as a back up.
Our operating area is within the confines of Sherburne County, Northwestern Anoka
County, Southwestern Isanti County and Southern Mille Lacs County.
Advise net control of your location at all times, even if you have to
move and seek shelter. If you are coming to or going from work your
family may not know where you are if you have not checked with them.
They may call net control asking where you are.
If your are injured or become incapcitated we have to have a
point of reference in order to get help to you. This also assists in
knowing exactly where a storm is and where to send resources if the
storm injures someone or causes casualties. Or if power lines are down
or flooded roadways with running water occurs.
Primary Net Control is KC0UPL #6051 in Elk River. Secondary Net Controls
when primary is unavailable are KC0MVT-4715 in Zimmerman. and KC0WEO-3913 in St. Francis.
Are available
Weather reports will go through net control unless you are unable to contact net
control by radio.
In that case,
switch to 147.000 and call
Wright County Skywarn WX0SVR, Identify yourself by call sign, Sherburne
Skywarn #1234 and give your report ending with your call sign. Or try the
145.850 Metro Skywarn also 147.210 if necessary.
Report only those conditions which you have been trained to report.
In certain circumstances we do have to know what is happening in the
field and your information is vital and must be accurate. i.e. If a
tornado has struck a set of train cars and one or more of those cars
contains hazardous materials you have to be able to tell some basic
details as we do live near railroad lines. The placard on the railcar
you can see if what does it read? Do Not Go up to see what is says.
If you are in a close vicinity to that type of incident you are in the
effected area and have to be seen by EMS for possible contamination. Try
and stay upwind of the area and make sure you do not go into the area
only in cases where life threatening injured people are there, then
common sense tells you what to do.
If people are nearby and are injured? How many? what types of injuries
are there? We need this information to pass on to dispatchers
and their first responders. So you can see how critical a spotters role is.
If you are first aid qualified you have a duty to attend to those
injured.
this is covered by good samaritan laws. And also Federal Volunteer
Protection Act.
If a tornado strikes a home near you and their are victims inside
or in the area we need to know that. Be extremely careful of using
radios around damaged home as LP Gas, Natural Gas may be leaking
and RF Radiation will trigger an explosion.
Also downed live
electrical lines are a hazard, know where they are always observe
any scene carefully and note hazards to you and other people.
victims may be in shock and walking around looking for their
families, stop them, keep them calm, be sensitive, do not say
anything about any fatalities you observe, reassure them help is
on the way and the best way they can help is to stay calm.
Get
them a blanket or a jacket, treat obvious injuries within your
scope of training. The radio net will be obviously busy, report
in very brief terms of what is happening. By this time the EOC,
(Emergency Operations Center) will have taken control of the Net
but net controllers still have to pass on vital information and
can assist the EOC by phone and radio, but the primary controller
at this point would be the EOC and radio discipline and pro-
ffesionalism even in this type of situation must be maintained.
Page Two
Page two More Spotting procedures.
Reporting Severe Weather
Spotters provide an invaluable service to their communities and to the National Weather Service.
Spotter reports help your community by assisting local public safety officials in making critical decisions to protect lives when to sound sirens, activate safety plans, etc
Spotter reports also help the NWS in the warning process. Your report becomes part of the warning decision making process, and is combined with radar data and other information and used by NWS forecasters to decide whether or not to:
* Issue a new warning
* Cancel an existing warning
* Continue a warning
* Issue a warning for the next county
* Change the warning type (from severe thunderstorm to tornado, for example)
For your reports to be the most useful, they should be as detailed, accurate and timely as possible. Use the guidelines below to help you make your report:
The Importance of Coordination
Spotter networks usually work best when a central location (an EOC or warning point, for example) collects reports from the local spotter network, then relays a consolidated report to the National Weather Service. This reduces duplicate reports and makes the system flow smoothly.
In this type of network, communication between the spotter and the control point must be clear to avoid misinterpretation. As a report is relayed through multiple sources, the chances for error being introduced into the chain grow.
Look at this example:
ORIGINAL SPOTTER REPORT at 730 PM:
I am 3 miles north of Mayberry on Highway 78. I see a tornado about 5 miles to my northwest. It looks to be moving east along Highway 412
Spotter report is relayed to another station, who relays it to the county warning point, who relays it to the NWS.
REPORT AS RECEIVED BY NWS at 740 PM:
There is a tornado in Mayberry
Obviously, the report the NWS received is not accurate the location and the time are incorrect.
WHAT TO REPORT
Weather Events
Although reporting criteria may vary slightly depending on the spotter network and local needs, these are the events the National Weather Service would like to know about as soon as possible:
TORNADO
FUNNEL CLOUD
Organized, persistent, sustained rotation
WALL CLOUD
Organized, persistent, sustained rotation
HAIL
Dime size or larger
Report the largest size hailstone
WIND GUSTS
58 mph or higher
Specify estimate or measurement
FLOODING
Flooding that impacts roads, homes or businesses.
STORM DAMAGE
Damage to structures (roof, siding, windows, etc)
Damage to vehicles (from hail or wind)
Trees or large limbs down
Power/telephone poles or lines down
Damage to farm equipment, machinery, etc
Again, reports should provide as much detail as possible to describe the where, when, how, etc of the event.
Some commonly used hail sizes
Pea .25 inch Golf Ball 1.75 inch
Half-inch .50 inch Hen Egg 2.00 inch
Dime .75 inch Tennis Ball 2.50 inch
Nickel .88 inch Baseball 2.75 inch
Quarter 1.00 inch Tea Cup 3.00 inch
Half Dollar 1.25 inch Grapefruit 4.00 inch
Ping Pong Ball 1.50 inch Softball 4.50 inch
General Guidelines for Estimating Wind Speeds
30-44 mph (26-39 kt) Whole trees in motion. Inconvenient walking into the wind. Light-weight loose objects (e.g., lawn furniture) tossed or toppled.
45-57 mph (39-49 kt) Large trees bend; twigs, small limbs break and a few larger dead or weak branches may break. Old/weak structures (e.g., sheds, barns) may sustain minor damage (roof, doors). Buildings partially under construction may be damaged. A few loose shingles removed from houses.
58-74 mph (50-64 kt) Large limbs break; shallow rooted trees pushed over. Semi-trucks overturned. More significant damage to old/weak structures. Shingles, awnings removed from houses; damage to chimneys and antennas.
75-89 mph (65-77 kt) Widespread damage to trees with large limbs down or trees broken/uprooted. Mobile homes may be pushed off foundation or overturned. Roof may be partially peeled off industrial/commercial/ warehouse buildings. Some minor roof damage to homes. Weak structures (e.g., farm buildings, airplane hangars) may be severely damaged.
90+ mph (78+ kt) Many large trees broken and uprooted. Mobile homes damaged. Roofs partially peeled off homes and buildings. Moving automobiles pushed off the road. Barns, sheds demolished.
HOW TO REPORT
Your severe weather report should be detailed but concise, and should address the following questions:
WHAT did you see?
WHERE did you see it? Report the location/approximate location of the event. Be sure to distinguish clearly between where you are and where the event is thought to be happening (Im 5 miles north of Mayberry. The tornado looks to be about 5 miles to my northwest).
WHEN did you see it? Be sure that reports that are relayed through multiple sources carry the time of the event, NOT the report time.
Any other details that are important - How long did it last? Direction of travel? Was there damage? etc.
Reporting Severe Weather
Spotters provide an invaluable service to their communities and to the National Weather Service.
Spotter reports help your community by assisting local public safety officials in making critical decisions to protect lives when to sound sirens, activate safety plans, etc
Spotter reports also help the NWS in the warning process. Your report becomes part of the warning decision making process, and is combined with radar data and other information and used by NWS forecasters to decide whether or not to:
* Issue a new warning
* Cancel an existing warning
* Continue a warning
* Issue a warning for the next county
* Change the warning type (from severe thunderstorm to tornado, for example)
For your reports to be the most useful, they should be as detailed, accurate and timely as possible. Use the guidelines below to help you make your report:
The Importance of Coordination
Spotter networks usually work best when a central location (an EOC or warning point, for example) collects reports from the local spotter network, then relays a consolidated report to the National Weather Service. This reduces duplicate reports and makes the system flow smoothly.
In this type of network, communication between the spotter and the control point must be clear to avoid misinterpretation. As a report is relayed through multiple sources, the chances for error being introduced into the chain grow.
Look at this example:
ORIGINAL SPOTTER REPORT at 730 PM:
I am 3 miles north of Mayberry on Highway 78. I see a tornado about 5 miles to my northwest. It looks to be moving east along Highway 412
Spotter report is relayed to another station, who relays it to the county warning point, who relays it to the NWS.
REPORT AS RECEIVED BY NWS at 740 PM:
There is a tornado in Mayberry
Obviously, the report the NWS received is not accurate the location and the time are incorrect.
WHAT TO REPORT
Weather Events
Although reporting criteria may vary slightly depending on the spotter network and local needs, these are the events the National Weather Service would like to know about as soon as possible:
TORNADO
FUNNEL CLOUD
Organized, persistent, sustained rotation
WALL CLOUD
Organized, persistent, sustained rotation
HAIL
Dime size or larger
Report the largest size hailstone
WIND GUSTS
58 mph or higher
Specify estimate or measurement
FLOODING
Flooding that impacts roads, homes or businesses.
STORM DAMAGE
Damage to structures (roof, siding, windows, etc)
Damage to vehicles (from hail or wind)
Trees or large limbs down
Power/telephone poles or lines down
Damage to farm equipment, machinery, etc
Again, reports should provide as much detail as possible to describe the where, when, how, etc of the event.
Some commonly used hail sizes
Pea .25 inch Golf Ball 1.75 inch
Half-inch .50 inch Hen Egg 2.00 inch
Dime .75 inch Tennis Ball 2.50 inch
Nickel .88 inch Baseball 2.75 inch
Quarter 1.00 inch Tea Cup 3.00 inch
Half Dollar 1.25 inch Grapefruit 4.00 inch
Ping Pong Ball 1.50 inch Softball 4.50 inch
General Guidelines for Estimating Wind Speeds
30-44 mph (26-39 kt) Whole trees in motion. Inconvenient walking into the wind. Light-weight loose objects (e.g., lawn furniture) tossed or toppled.
45-57 mph (39-49 kt) Large trees bend; twigs, small limbs break and a few larger dead or weak branches may break. Old/weak structures (e.g., sheds, barns) may sustain minor damage (roof, doors). Buildings partially under construction may be damaged. A few loose shingles removed from houses.
58-74 mph (50-64 kt) Large limbs break; shallow rooted trees pushed over. Semi-trucks overturned. More significant damage to old/weak structures. Shingles, awnings removed from houses; damage to chimneys and antennas.
75-89 mph (65-77 kt) Widespread damage to trees with large limbs down or trees broken/uprooted. Mobile homes may be pushed off foundation or overturned. Roof may be partially peeled off industrial/commercial/ warehouse buildings. Some minor roof damage to homes. Weak structures (e.g., farm buildings, airplane hangars) may be severely damaged.
90+ mph (78+ kt) Many large trees broken and uprooted. Mobile homes damaged. Roofs partially peeled off homes and buildings. Moving automobiles pushed off the road. Barns, sheds demolished.
HOW TO REPORT
Your severe weather report should be detailed but concise, and should address the following questions:
WHAT did you see?
WHERE did you see it? Report the location/approximate location of the event. Be sure to distinguish clearly between where you are and where the event is thought to be happening (Im 5 miles north of Mayberry. The tornado looks to be about 5 miles to my northwest).
WHEN did you see it? Be sure that reports that are relayed through multiple sources carry the time of the event, NOT the report time.
Any other details that are important - How long did it last? Direction of travel? Was there damage? etc.
Page Three
Page Three What we do on severe weather days.
Using NWS Information
While everyone should keep a close eye on weather conditions whenever storms threaten, storm spotters have a definite need to know whats going on before, during and even after a severe weather event. The Norman National Weather Service forecast office, working with the Storm Prediction Center, provides an entire suite of forecast products to keep you informed about severe weather from days to minutes before the storms.
Is today a severe weather day?
During the height of storm season in the Plains, this is a question that spotters should ask daily. The NWS provides information and forecasts to help answer this question:
CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
Issued by the Storm Prediction Center, these convective outlooks cover the current day, tomorrow and the next day (day three). They are issued for the 48 contiguous states of the U.S. and offer guidance to NWS offices and others on where severe weather may occur.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
Based in part on the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) convective outlooks, these outlooks provide a heads-up description of any hazardous weather thats expected in the next week. The main focus is on today and tomorrow, with more general information provided further into the future.
The HWO is written specifically for storm spotters, emergency managers and others who need specific severe weather forecast information for planning purposes. However, the HWO is available to everyone via the Internet and Weather Radio.
The HWO provides details on what is expected (including what types of storms and hazards), when it is likely to happen and the meteorological reasoning behind it. It is written by NWS forecasters who are the experts in your local area and is updated as often as needed.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
This technical discussion comes from your local NWS office and provides the reasoning and explanation behind what the forecasters are thinking. This can be used to supplement the information contained in the Hazardous Weather Outlook.
SHORT TERM FORECAST
The local NWS office issues short term forecasts to describe whats expected in the next few hours over small groups of counties. These forecasts may include information on where storms are anticipated, or details on what existing severe storms are expected to do in the next few hours.
TORNADO/SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches are issued by the National Weather Services Storm Prediction Center. Watches typically cover a large geographic area and are in effect for several hours. Watches may prompt the beginning of formal spotter activities in a community.
A watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms and perhaps tornadoes to develop in and close to the watch area. Remember that people in and close to a watch area should be alert to severe storm development. Also remember that watches are not issued for every single severe storm.
TORNADO WARNING
A tornado warning is an urgent message from your local National Weather Service office. The warning means a tornado is imminent or occurring and indicates that immediate action is needed to avoid injury.
A tornado warning is usually based on a combination of radar information and storm spotter observations. Tornado warnings are issued for parts of counties and are in effect for about half an hour.
A tornado warning may prompt local officials to sound outdoor warning sirens.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
A severe thunderstorm warning is an urgent message that means a severe thunderstorm (containing hail at least dime size and/or winds in excess of 58 mph) is imminent or occurring.
DO NOT IGNORE severe thunderstorm warnings! These warnings give specific details as to what is expected and may cover a wide range of storms from dime size hail and 50 mph winds to destructive deadly storms producing softball size hail and 100 mph winds. And, severe thunderstorm warnings often precede tornado warnings, giving you even more advance notice that a dangerous storm is nearby.
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
The NWS issues severe weather statements to update warnings. Statements provide critical new information on a warning, including spotter reports, updated radar analysis, the latest storm motion and expected hazards.
All of the services mentioned above are available on the NWS Norman website - www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/home.php and on NWS Weather Radio.
LOCAL STORM REPORT
These reports include the latest severe weather reports received by the National Weather Service, and include the time, location and a description of what happened. Spotter reports are the primary source for local storm report information.
Using NWS Information
While everyone should keep a close eye on weather conditions whenever storms threaten, storm spotters have a definite need to know whats going on before, during and even after a severe weather event. The Norman National Weather Service forecast office, working with the Storm Prediction Center, provides an entire suite of forecast products to keep you informed about severe weather from days to minutes before the storms.
Is today a severe weather day?
During the height of storm season in the Plains, this is a question that spotters should ask daily. The NWS provides information and forecasts to help answer this question:
CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK
Issued by the Storm Prediction Center, these convective outlooks cover the current day, tomorrow and the next day (day three). They are issued for the 48 contiguous states of the U.S. and offer guidance to NWS offices and others on where severe weather may occur.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
Based in part on the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) convective outlooks, these outlooks provide a heads-up description of any hazardous weather thats expected in the next week. The main focus is on today and tomorrow, with more general information provided further into the future.
The HWO is written specifically for storm spotters, emergency managers and others who need specific severe weather forecast information for planning purposes. However, the HWO is available to everyone via the Internet and Weather Radio.
The HWO provides details on what is expected (including what types of storms and hazards), when it is likely to happen and the meteorological reasoning behind it. It is written by NWS forecasters who are the experts in your local area and is updated as often as needed.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
This technical discussion comes from your local NWS office and provides the reasoning and explanation behind what the forecasters are thinking. This can be used to supplement the information contained in the Hazardous Weather Outlook.
SHORT TERM FORECAST
The local NWS office issues short term forecasts to describe whats expected in the next few hours over small groups of counties. These forecasts may include information on where storms are anticipated, or details on what existing severe storms are expected to do in the next few hours.
TORNADO/SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches are issued by the National Weather Services Storm Prediction Center. Watches typically cover a large geographic area and are in effect for several hours. Watches may prompt the beginning of formal spotter activities in a community.
A watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms and perhaps tornadoes to develop in and close to the watch area. Remember that people in and close to a watch area should be alert to severe storm development. Also remember that watches are not issued for every single severe storm.
TORNADO WARNING
A tornado warning is an urgent message from your local National Weather Service office. The warning means a tornado is imminent or occurring and indicates that immediate action is needed to avoid injury.
A tornado warning is usually based on a combination of radar information and storm spotter observations. Tornado warnings are issued for parts of counties and are in effect for about half an hour.
A tornado warning may prompt local officials to sound outdoor warning sirens.
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
A severe thunderstorm warning is an urgent message that means a severe thunderstorm (containing hail at least dime size and/or winds in excess of 58 mph) is imminent or occurring.
DO NOT IGNORE severe thunderstorm warnings! These warnings give specific details as to what is expected and may cover a wide range of storms from dime size hail and 50 mph winds to destructive deadly storms producing softball size hail and 100 mph winds. And, severe thunderstorm warnings often precede tornado warnings, giving you even more advance notice that a dangerous storm is nearby.
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
The NWS issues severe weather statements to update warnings. Statements provide critical new information on a warning, including spotter reports, updated radar analysis, the latest storm motion and expected hazards.
All of the services mentioned above are available on the NWS Norman website - www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/home.php and on NWS Weather Radio.
LOCAL STORM REPORT
These reports include the latest severe weather reports received by the National Weather Service, and include the time, location and a description of what happened. Spotter reports are the primary source for local storm report information.
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