Skywarn program provides ‘ground truth’ in severe weather (North Carolina)

Like a lot of meteorologists, Nick Petro’s fascination with the weather began early in his childhood.

Today, as the warning coordination meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office, he’s readying himself for a trip to Fayetteville to meet with other weather enthusiasts to teach them the skill of storm spotting. 

His primary audience shares another of his enthusiasms: amateur radio. Like the members of the Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society, which organized the training session, Petro is a ham radio operator.

The free training program Petro will lead, set for 7 p.m. on Monday, May 20, is Skywarn, a national network utilizing NWS-trained volunteers to provide on-the-ground spotter reports during periods of extreme weather, particularly severe thunderstorms.

“It’s really all about reporting ground truth when it comes to severe weather — the ground truth, what people are experiencing, back to the National Weather Service,” Petro told CityView. “When we issue our warnings, we’re making a lot of assumptions based on radar, and radar tells us what’s happening in the sky. People will tell us what’s happening on the ground.”  

The training program teaches a variety of skills, including understanding how severe storms develop and evolve and providing insight into advancements in NWS’s technology. Based on unique radar signatures, enhanced tech helps the weather pros provide differentiation between weather phenomena such as hail, rain, and tornadoes. But it’s not quite a substitute for eyewitnesses.

Read more – CityView: https://bit.ly/3K2pSrn