Amateur radio spotters swing into action during weather emergencies

When others are seeking shelter from severe weather, weather spotters in the Skywarn program monitor conditions, waiting patiently to see high winds knock out powerlines or a funnel cloud strike.


The spotters comprise the Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, who volunteered most recently during last month's storm when "straight-line winds" gusting from 60 to 70 mph damaged 30 homes in Groveland.

The radio service activated and operated a National Weather Service Skywarn radio network for five hours to facilitate reports of dangerous weather conditions for the National Weather Service. Skywarn is a volunteer program established by the weather service that trains volunteers to provide timely and accurate reports of local storms in order to keep their communities safe.

"The National Weather Service in Melbourne is using Doppler radar to look at large areas in the sky. They can't see what is going on down my street," said Ted Luebbers, public-information officer for Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Services. "From my location, I might be able to spot something they missed or indicate where a front is moving that would allow them to warn a community."

Next week, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Spratt will be teaching Skywarn spotter classes with the help of the weather service, Lake County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Lake County Amateur Radio Association. Classes are March 5 at the Leesburg Public Library, 100 E. Main St. A basic class will be taught at 10 a.m. and an advanced class at 1 p.m.

Amateur radio emergency coordinator Strait Hollis received advance notice of the Groveland storm from the weather service, which requested the group's help in keeping an eye on possible weather developments.

Due to a lack of severe weather, local Skywarn volunteers haven't been called upon in the past few years.

"We were pleased to find that even though it's been a while since we had a large scale Skywarn network, there was still a large response, that the lack of severe weather hadn't hindered their operations at all," Spratt said. "They were still active when the time came."

Emergency amateur radio enthusiasts hone their skills by relaying communications for events such as walkathons or bike races.

Together with Doppler radar technology and satellite, the ground reporting by spotters has allowed the weather service to obtain critical weather information and issue more timely and accurate warning for tornados, severe thunderstorms and flashfloods.

"The general public doesn't take immediate action when we issue warnings — they seem to wait for a confirmed report," Spratt said. "The spotters provide credibility and confirm our warning when they report a funnel cloud or other severe weather. They help us reinforce the reality of the situation."

To learn more about spotter classes or Lake County's amateur radio activity, visit k4fc.org or n4fla.org.