National Weather Service Amarillo Forecast Office “Serving the Texas & Oklahoma Panhandles” SKYWARN 2010! Concepts of Spotting and Reporting Severe Storms

Mission of the NWS

NWS Offices Issue all Local Forecasts and Warnings Build and Maintain Relationships With Local and State Governments Provide Expert Advice to Emergency Managers and Emergency Operations Centers Solicit Customer Feedback on Products and Services Conduct Community Awareness and Education Programs Train Volunteer Observers and Storm Spotters

Amarillo County Warning Area

Skywarn Spotters Why are they so critical? Question: If you are a fire fighter, when would you want to be notified about an ongoing fire?

History WWII – spotter networks to protect weapon depots from lightning and severe weather Tinker AFB Tornado in 1949 – spotter reports lead to first Tornado Warning, allowed aircraft to be moved to safer location 1955 – Udall, KS tornado killed 80 people and injured 273, The Weather Bureau began to formally utilize severe weather spotters First spotter class: March 8, 1959 in Wellington, KS, 225 attendees NWS formalizes Skywarn in 1965 after the Palm Sunday outbreak as a part of the Natural Disaster Warning System (NADWARN)

The Goal of the Spotter Program To equip you (the spotter) with the tools necessary to accurately observe the weather Spotters play an important role in warning operations – Hail reports – Wind reports – Damage reports – Tornado reports – Winter weather too This information helps the NWS provide the MOST accurate warnings/watches, advisories and statements

Diversity of Skywarn Program Management – Managed by NWS Most offices have good EM participation Some offices have little or no EM participation – Managed by EM EM deploys spotters EM takes their reports & relays them to NWS

The Role of the SKYWARN Spotter Net Control Operators Skywarn Spotters NWS Forecasters Radar Satellite Observations Skywarn BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 746 PM CST SUN FEB THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

To Give You an Idea of What a Spotter Might Spot… In an “average” year across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles – We Issue 33 Tornado Warnings tornados actually occur – Issue 219 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings – Issue 20 Flash Flood Warnings

The Role of the SKYWARN Spotter SKYWARN Spotters Identify and Report: Tornadoes, Wall Clouds, and Funnel Clouds Hail – Any size Winds – 50 mph or stronger Flash Flooding Significant Thunderstorm Features Other Significant Weather – Winter Weather!!

The Role of the SKYWARN Spotter Reports should include the following information: WHO is calling… WHERE the storm is located… WHAT severe weather is occurring… WHEN the severe weather occurred… HOW long did the severe weather last…

What Do We Expect From A Spotter? Stay Safe! Report what YOU see and only what YOU see Stay out of disaster areas unless part of an emergency response team

Why Are Spotters So Important? Because Radar only gives us a piece of the puzzle – Looks high in the storm – Does not “see” tornados – Indicates hail, but NOT the exact size – Sometimes only shows rotation AFTER a tornado has formed – In other words:

0.5° Radar Beam What the Radar "Sees" VS. What the Spotter "Sees" Radar Spotter

The Bottom Line The ONLY way we know there is a tornado is IF a human tells us!! Near Petrolia TX 4/30/04 Gene Moore

In Summary – We Would Like You To Report… A Tornado(s) Funnel Clouds Hail of ANY Size (even peas) Strong winds, especially if you receive any wind damage Heavy rain that causes any flooding – Water on roads, bar ditches filling up And winter weather too (more on that later)

Spotter Safety

Mobile Spotter Safety Tips Being on the road… Best to spot with a partner. Know where the storm is and how its moving. Watch for water on the road. Obey traffic laws. Watch out for the other guy. Always start with a full tank of gas. Keep a well-maintained vehicle. Tim Mrshall

Now for some Definitions A Severe Thunderstorm MUST produce at least one of the following: – Hail one inch in diameter (quarter size) or larger – Wind gusts of 58 mph or greater – A Tornado

More Definitions… DOWNBURST - An intense downdraft from a thunderstorm that produces damaging wind gusts of 58 mph or greater. Microburst – small scale (<2.5 miles), short-lived (<5 mins) downburst Macroburst – large scale (>2.5 miles), long-lived (>5 mins) downburst Derecho – Large scale, long-lived family of downbursts, sometimes persisting hundreds of miles. FUNNEL CLOUD - A rotating, funnel-shaped cloud extending from a thunderstorm or towering cumulus. Spotters should report a ‘tornado’ if the funnel is in contact with the ground. TORNADO - A violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm, in contact with the ground.

Still More Definitions… FLASH FLOOD WARNING - Short-term flood (typically within 6 hours of the cause) which poses a threat to life and property. Flash flooding includes major small stream or urban flooding, rapidly flowing water, and dam/levee failure. SMALL STREAM/URBAN FLOOD ADVISORY - Flooding that does not meet the flash flood criteria and should not pose a significant threat to life or property. Examples would include minor urban or small stream flooding, and standing water in low spots during or after heavy rain.

Tornado Definitions Tornado: Is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and the base of a thunderstorm. Landspout: A type of tornado which is not associated with a thunderstorms mesocyclone (they form when ground based rotation is pulled into the updraft base of a thunderstorm).

Near Tornadoes Dust Devil: Form as a swirling updraft under sunny conditions during fair weather, rarely coming close to the intensity of a tornado. Gustnado: Form due to non-tornadic cyclonic features in the downdraft from the gust (outflow) front of a strong thunderstorm, especially one which has become outflow dominated.

Spotter Hazard: Lightning Threat with ALL storms!! First strike may be the one that gets you Stay inside your vehicle or indoors

Mobile Spotter Safety Tips Lightning Be cautious open areas – avoid being the tallest object Be careful parking on a hill or high spots Don’t park too close to metal fences/power lines

Spotter Hazard: Damaging Winds Non Tornadic Winds (straight line winds) Various threat areas around a storm Damage same/worse than a tornado

What Is A Severe Wind? Officially – 58 MPH or greater How can you tell the wind speed if you do not have an anemometer? Damage!

Estimating wind speed 40 to 55 mph - Non severe...Trees swaying, rain coming down horizontally, twigs and small limbs break, loose lightweight objects (trash cans, lawn chairs) blown around.

Estimating wind speed 60 to 80 mph...medium to large tree limbs downed, sheds, barns and weak structures damaged, truck pushed off the highway.

Estimating wind speed 80 to 100 mph+...numerous large tree limbs downed, shallow rooted trees pushed over, buildings partially unroofed, farm buildings, weak structures severely damaged.