SKYWARN Recognition Day

SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY IS DECEMBER 2 Newington, CT April 22, 2005 -- The 8th annual SKYWARN Recognition Day will take place Saturday, December 2, 2006. SKYWARN Recognition Day is an event co-sponsored by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League, and it is the National Weather Service's way of saying "thank you" to Amateur ("ham") Radio operators for their commitment to helping keep their communities safe. During the 24-hour special event, amateur radio operators will visit their local National Weather Service (NWS) office, set up Amateur Radio stations, and work as a team to contact other hams across the world. "Ham radio operators volunteering as storm spotters are an extremely valuable asset to National Weather Service operations since they are cross-trained in both communications and severe storm recognition", says Scott Mentzer, organizer of the event and Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NWS office in Goodland, Kansas. Last year, approximately 114 NWS offices across the country participated in this event thanking the Skywarn spotters. Larry Eblen of the Austin NWS office adds, "I am your biggest fan and strongest advocate. After all, you (hams) are absolutely critical to what we do. You are the 'eyes and ears' of the National Weather Service." In typical warning operations, it is the direct communication between mobile spotters and the local NWS office which provides vital ground information. The hams provide real time spotter reports of hail size, wind damage and surface-based rotation that greatly assists the radar warning operator since that information can be correlated with Doppler radar displays and verify the images. The results can range anywhere from a more strongly-worded statement to convey a greater sense of urgency, or the issuance of a tornado warning minutes earlier than would otherwise have been possible. While National Weather Service offices utilize the real-time reporting of severe weather events to assist in warning operations, hurricanes and tropical storms have shown us that ham radio operators are equally important during the recovery phase of natural disasters. There are countless stories where ham radio worked in tandem with more conventional technology to relay emergency traffic. SKYWARN Recognition Day will be held on December 2, 2006, from 0000 UTC to 2400 UTC.

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