Spotter
Reporting
Procedures
  • From radio-equipped vehicles report severe weather observations to a central collection point and request them to relay the report to the National Weather Service.
  • Law enforcement and Civil Defense spotters-report to the National Weather Service via NAWAS, radio, or other direct communications links as prescribed by your Emergency Operations Plan.
  • When the telephone is your only communications method, call
your primary or alternate contact and ask them to relay your report to the National Weather Service. If you are unable to reach the primary or alternate contact, place an emergency call through the telephone operator to the National Weather Service. If the call is long distance, It can be made collect.  Report promptly as the storm may Interrupt communications.

REPORT BRIEFLY:
What you have seen: wall cloud, tornado, funnel cloud, waterspout, heavy rain, etc.
Where you saw it: the direction and distance from a known location, e.g., 3 miles south of Beltsvilla.

 When you saw it: make sure you note the time of your observation. What it was doing: describe the storm's direction and speed of travel, size and intensity, and destructiveness. Include any amount of uncertainty as needed, i.e., "funnel cloud; no debris visible at the surface but too far away to be certain it Is not on the ground."
Identify yourself and your location. Give spotter code number if one has been assigned.
Report:
  1. Tornado, Funnel Cloud, Waterspout, or Wall Cloud
  2. Hail, ¼ Inch or larger
  3. Damaging Winds (usually 50 mph or greater)
  4. Flash Flooding
  5. Rain, (rate of 1 Inch per hour or more)
Additional Tips
for Skywarn
Spotters
  • The first sign of a tornado may not be a funnel at the cloud base. Your first clue may be debris or dust at the surface1 so be alert to events at ground level, as well as in the clouds.
  • At night, lightning flashes can aid in identifying the Rain Free Base, Wall Cloud, and Precipitation Area.  Although a loud roar is frequently associated with a tornado,

strong straight-line winds can also produce such a sound.

  • If you spot from a fixed location, use a map to determine distances and directions to known landmarks such as water towers, TV towers, etc. This will help you estimate distance and direction in your reports. Mobile spotters should always have up-to-date maps and be familiar with the area in which they are operating.
  • When available, use binoculars to look for rotation and other cloud features. Once you spot a funnel, tornado, or wall cloud, be alert for the formation of others In the area.
  • If you find yourself in large hail, remember you are in or near the area where tornado formation is most likely in a tornadic thunderstorm.
  • Always follow the basic safety rules. In open country, a spotter may be able to use his knowledge of the tornado's motion and available escape routes to drive away from the tornado safely. In urban areas this is usually not possible because of traffic congestion. Make certain your family knows what to do in tornado emergencies as you may not be available to assist or direct them.
SpotterAids

ESTIMATING HAIL SIZE:

  • pea size ¼ inch
  • marble size ½ inch
  • dime size ¾ inch
  • quarter size 1 inch
  • golfbaIl size 1.75 inch
  • baseball size 2.75 inch.

ESTIMATING WIND SPEEDS*
(miles per hour)
25-31 Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires 55-72 Damage to chimneys and TV antenna; pushes over shallow rooted trees 158 & up Severe damage; cars lifted off ground
32-38 Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt walking against wind 73-112 Peels surface off roofs; windows broken; light trailer houses pushed or overturned; moving automobiles pushed off roads
39-54 Twigs break off trees; wind generally impedes progress 113-157 Roofs torn off houses; weak buildings and trailer houses destroyed; large trees snapped and uprooted * Adapted from the Beaufort and fugita Wind Scales.
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