Reference Cities

MAKING STORM SPOTTER REPORTS
By Skip Voros, WD9HAS Sullivan Committee Member, Milwaukee Area Skywarn Assoc.
Last Modified March 6th, 2009.

The National Weather Service office at Sullivan accepts reports from any county on this map.

All reports require T-L-C-S: Time you observed the weather event,
Location you are at, Condition you observed, Source of the report.

Once familiar with the TLCS format you can often report the most catastrophic weather in less than
40 seconds.

Reports are sent via unlisted phone number, 9-1-1, E-mail,
NWS websites, or ham radio.

TIME:
To the nearest minute you observed the weather event.
LOCATION:
Within your county determine how far you are from the center of your city (or nearest).
Do this for home, work, and frequent mobile locations. See City Centers below.
(IE, you are 1.2 miles southeast of the Milwaukee city center, or 1.2 miles southwest of Mitchell field Airport.)
CONDITION:
Describe what you are saw/experienced.
Examples: Measured wind gust of 67 MPH. Estimated hail 1 inch diameter. 3 feet of water blocking traffic.
Visibility less than 500 feet from heavy rain/snow. Numerous 1 foot diameter uprooted trees.
Root River Parkway out of its banks. Highway 20 closed from snow drifts. Trees and power lines down.
Roof, wall, and single damage. Overturned semi-tracker. Windows blown-out.

SOURCE of Report
Any combination of your name, agency, ham radio call, ID number, etc.

REPORTABLE CRITERIA:

COOL SEASON

ANYTHING You Consider Unexpected, Significant, or not forecasted.
DAMAGE: Trees, power Lines, Home/office, Ice Damage/jams.

FLOODING: Water over the curb, rivers, creeks, streams at
or above bank full. Blocking streets/intersections, basement
flooding.

FREEZING RAIN OR DRIZZLE

HAIL: 1/4 inch or larger (Specify estimated or measured)

ICE ACCRETION or Ice Glazing depth in tenths of a inch.

ROAD CONDITIONS: Impassible, backups, blocked, closed.

RAIN GAGE REPORTS: Include start and end times.

RAIN-SNOW LINE: Where/when rain changes to snow

SLEET:

SNOW DEPTHS: Total or new.

SNOW FALL RATES: Greater than 3" every 6 hours

THUNDERSNOW: Thunder/lightning during snow storm.

WIND GUSTS: 40 MPH or greater (estimated or measured?)

WHITEOUT or FOG Conditions.

VISIBILITY: When less than 1/2 mile.

Winter reports are submitted by phone, Internet, or Packet radio.
PUBLIC REPORTS E- SPOTTER HAM REPORTS

WARM SEASON

TORNADO or WATERSPOUT

FUNNEL CLOUDS -be sure of your observation!

WALL CLOUDS -be sure of your observation!

DAMAGE:
Roof or wall materials damaged/collapsed/ missing. Uprooted trees, large limbs, light poles, mobile homes, buildings, tree branches, direct lightning, downed power lines.

HIGH WINDS:
40+ MPH Wind gusts (Specify estimated or measured).

HAIL:
3/4 Inch, Penny Size (Specify estimated or measured).

FLOODING:
Major structure damage, evacuations, roads blocked,
washed out, river banks overflowing, water over the curb

RAINFALL:
1/4 inch or more with a 15 minute period.
Include starting and ending time of your measurement

VISIBILITY:
When less than 1/2 mile from rain or blowing dirt.

ALL REPORTS SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST-HAND OBSERVATIONS. NEVER USE HEARSAY INFORMATION
FROM RADIO, TV, INTERNET, FRIENDS, ETC.

Summer reports are submitted by phone, Internet, or ham radio.
PUBLIC REPORTS E- SPOTTER HAM RADIO CHANNELS

CITY CENTERS & LANDMARKS

City Centers & Landmarks
with GOOGLE Maps

Columbia	Dane	Dodge	Fond Du Lac	Green	Green Lake	Iowa	Jefferson	Kenosha	Lafayette
Marquette	Milwaukee	Ozaukee	Racine	Rock	Sauk	Sheboygan	Washington	Walworth	Waukesha

Airports
Hwy 45 Milwaukee Cty to Fond Du Lac Cty
I-43 Milwaukee To Beloit
I-43 Milwaukee To Port Washington
I-94 Milwaukee To Madison
I-94 Milwaukee to Kenosha
State Parks & Landmarks

FORMAT YOUR REPORT:

TELEPHONE REPORT:
“Hello, I'm a trained severe weather spotter. At 6:32 PM, I measured a 65 MPH wind gust. My location is 2.8 miles
Northwest of Beaver Dam, in Dodge County. This is: (your name, ID/call, number, agency, etc)"

HAM RADIO REPORT:
             You:   "This (Call Sign) + Reportable Criteria
Net Control:   Go ahead....
            You:    T-L-C-S info
Net Control:   Acknowledge report

ON AIR EXCHANGE
           You:   "This is W9XYZ...Hail"
Net Control:   "Go ahead X-Y-Z."
            You:   "At 1:22PM, My location 1mile Southwest of New Berlin, Waukesha Co, measured hail 2 inches. W9XYZ
Net Control:   "Roger X-Y-Z. Copy 2 inch hail at...."

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First listed by MASA 2/20/03, All new location points created 1-18-08.