SKYWARN Spotter Training via CCS Net April 10 & 17

SKYWARN Spotter Training will be offered on the Central Carolina SKYWARN Information Net on April 10 and April 17 at 9:15 PM on the 146.88 repeater (Wake County) and via live-streaming audio on the internet.  Training will focus on the role of the SKYWARN spotter, weather safety, and convective basics.  This training may be used to earn initial spotter certification or renew certification, which is required every three years.  Part 1 of Basic Training will be held on April 10; Part 2 on April 17.  The instructor will be Nick Petro, WX3H, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, NWS Raleigh.  To fully benefit from this training and to receive certification, you must: a) download the training presentation before each net from www.centralcarolinaskywarn.net (it will be included with the Weekly Weather Impact Briefing; click on the Weekly Weather Impact Briefing on the top menu to download); b) listen and check in at the end of both nets; and c) email Virginia Enzor, NC4VA, Emergency Coordinator (Central Carolina SKYWARN) at nc4va@nc.rr.com with your name, call sign (if licensed), and preferred email address.  The NWS will then contact you about completing the spotter certification process.

Scanner listeners and listeners receiving live-streaming audio on the internet at www.broadcastify.com may also participate by downloading the presentations and emailing Virginia NC4VA immediately after both nets. Again, be sure to include your name, call sign (if licensed), and preferred email address.  For live-streamed training, visit www.broadcastify.com and proceed as follows: Listen > North Carolina > Wake > Central Carolina SKYWARN.

If you live outside the Raleigh NWS coverage area, the Raleigh NWS will coordinate with your Weather Forecast Office to ensure your SKYWARN spotter certification.

Additional SKYWARN Spotter Training classes sponsored by NWS Raleigh can be found at http://www.weather.gov/rah/skywarn

Winter Weather Activation March 12, 2018

The Raleigh National Weather Service has directed Central Carolina SKYWARN to activate for the March 12, 2018 Winter Weather event. We will hold hourly nets, beginning at 4PM and running through 10PM or until the NWS asks us to stand down, all on the 146.88 repeater.

If needed, our first backup will be the 147.105 repeater with tone of 82.5 Hz. Secondary backup will be the 147.135 repeater with a tone of 82.5 Hz. Tertiary backup will be the Carolina 440 UHF Link System; frequencies can be found at www.carolina440.net.

We will be asking for the following criteria for each net:

*Callsign (if any) and name

*Location – Street/Cross street, city & county or lat/long.

*Precipitation type -snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain and any changeovers in precipitation.

*Accumulation of snow/ice accretion (If you have both, you may report X number of inches of snow and x number of inches as sleet. If unsure how much of each, just report your total as combination of sleet and snow.

*Impacts such as road conditions (particularly any roads that are closed or impassable, sustained power outages (not just blinking) and downed limbs/trees.

Reports will also be accepted on the Central Carolina SKYWARN Facebook page. Your winter weather photos are welcome too!

Thanks in advance spotters! Please stay warm and safe.

Statewide Tornado Drill, Wed., March 7, 2018, 9:30 AM

From the Raleigh National Weather Service:

The 2018 North Carolina Severe Weather Preparedness Week runs from Sunday March 4 through Saturday March 10, 2018.    With the peak of North Carolina’s severe weather season right around the corner, NOW is the time to prepare!   There are a lot of great resources that you can use to prepare for the severe weather season.  Please take a moment to visit the NWS Raleigh Severe Weather Preparedness Week web site at https://www.weather.gov/rah/2018ncswpw where you’ll find links to daily severe weather topics and useful severe weather preparedness tips and information.  

In addition to making a severe weather safety plan, we strongly encourage everyone to participate in the Statewide Tornado Drill, which will occur on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 at 9:30 AM.  Every school, business, work place, and family across the state is strongly encouraged to participate in this drill.   It is important that all schools and businesses are aware of the following important points about the tornado drill:

  • The drill will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and the Emergency Alert System via the Required Monthly Test (RMT).  There will not be an actual Tornado Warning issued.
  • Many NOAA Weather Radio receivers (including the older Midland WR-100 radios that many schools have) do not sound an audible alert for the RMT product; instead, they may have a blinking light on the display to indicate that an RMT was received.  As such, when the RMT for the statewide tornado drill is initiated at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, there is a chance that your NOAA Weather Radio will not sound an alarm.
  • Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued, you will want to do one of the following:
    • Manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio receiver and simply listen to the audio broadcast to hear when the RMT is issued, which will mark the beginning of the statewide tornado drill.
    • Simply plan to start your tornado drill on your own at 9:30 AM.
  • There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide tornado drill.   It will simply be over when your group, school, business, or organization feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
  • If there is actual severe weather occurring on the morning of March 7, 2018, the statewide tornado drill will be postponed.  The alternate date for the drill is Friday, March 9, 2018, at 9:30 AM.
  • This drill and RMT will take the place of the usual weekly NOAA Weather Radio Alert test (RWT).  That is, there will not be a weekly radio test done between 11 AM and Noon on that day.