Spotter Reporting Procedures

• From radio or cellular phone-equipped vehicles, report severe weather observations to a central collection point

and request them to relay the report to the National Weather Service.

• Law enforcement and Emergency Management spotters—report to your dispatcher or net controller via NAWAS,

radio, cellular phone, or other direct communications links as prescribed by your Emergency Operations Plan.

• When the telephone is your only communications method, call your primary or alternate contact, and ask him or

her to relay your report to the National Weather Service. If the call is long distance, you can make it collect.

Report promptly as the storm may interrupt communications.

Report Briefly:

What you have seen: tornado, funnel cloud, wall cloud, waterspout, flash flooding, etc.

When you saw it: make sure you note the time of your observation.

What it was doing: describe the storm’s direction and speed of travel, size and intensity, and destructiveness.

Include any amount of uncertainty as needed, i.e., “funnel cloud; no debris visible at the surface, but too far away to

be certain it is not on the ground.”

Identify yourself and your location. Give spotter code number if you have one.

Report:

1. Tornado, funnel cloud, waterspout, or wall cloud.

2. Large hail, 1" or larger.

3. Damaging winds (usually greater than 50 mph).

4. Flash flooding.

5. Other criteria as defined by your local NWS office.

6. Keep info pertinent only to weather during net.