Skywarn

We are extremely proud to report on the progress of the SKYWARN program, which is a part of the St. Clair County ARES/RACES organization.

The National Weather Service (NWS) utilizes trained personnel in the field to provide timely and accurate reports of storm activity from various locations that can supplement the NWS radar network.

In our SKYWARN program, there are over 50 trained weather spotters available to report weather conditions to the Emergency Operations Center. These individuals come from many walks of life, some utilizing amateur radios while other will utilize cell phones as their reporting methods. Many of the spotters are equipped with pagers to insure prompt notification of weather warnings. In addition to our SKYWARN spotter system, many of our local fire departments place apparatus in key locations to assist in providing weather information.

The NWS has provided both basic and advanced training to many members of the program. Additional internal training along with some specialized FEMA training is available to the members who meet on a monthly basis.

With the SKYWARN concept, our residents have the potential to receive earlier notification of life threatening weather situations. Obviously any delay in reporting and notification poses the threat of injury and even death. As you can see the SKYWARN program plays an important part of our notification system.

If you are interested in being a member of the St. Clair County SKYWARN team or need more information contact the Office of Emergency Management at 810-989-6965 or E-Mail Becky Mayes.

Storm Spotter Guides

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