Weather Net

NEW PROCEDURES TO BE PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 6, 2019

Butler and Warren Counties have teamed up to provide critical weather information to the community. We relay our reports to the community by making notifications through the National Weather Service, Butler County Emergency Management and Warren County Emergency Management. We activate our weather net when severe weather is occurring or is expected to affect Butler and/or Warren Counties.

No experience or prior training is necessary to make a report to our net and all radio operators are encouraged to participate.

Net Frequencies

Butler County: 147.330+ T 118.8

Warren County: 146.865- T 118.8

Note: during active nets these frequencies are patched together to provide seamless coverage of both counties.

Note: Skywarn Cincinnati 146.880 T:123 and Skywarn Dayton 146.640 may be reported to if their net is active and ours is not.

Spotter Reporting Procedures

Check-ins are not required during an active weather event. If you have critical weather information, please promptly report the information to Net Control.

Reports should include the following information:

  • Your FCC Call

  • Region: Location of observed weather (county and location given by compass direction - i.e. Butler County Northwest or use region map below).

  • Reported Weather: Description of the weather observation you are reporting (see Reporting and Estimating Criteria below).

Please refrain from reporting information not meeting the Reporting Criteria listed below. Also, please refrain from reporting already known information from radio, news media, internet radars, etc. Net control needs to gather weather observations only known by Radio Amateurs.

Region Maps (UPDATED: 3/5/2013)

Butler County Region Map - CLICK HERE

Warren County Region Map - CLICK HERE

Combined Butler County, Warren County Region Map - CLICK HERE

Reporting Criteria

Damaging Winds

Hail

Significant Rain Rates (greater than 1 inch per hour)

Flooding including streams out of banks and water covering roadways

Wall Cloud

Tornado

Funnel Cloud

Any other event you observe and believe to be significant

Please only report observations you have made. Reports from radio, media, and/or radar have already been processed by those needing it.

Estimating Criteria for Reports

Hail Size

Pea Size 1/4"

Dime Size 1/2" (Minimum reportable size)

Penny Size 3/4"

Nickel Size 1"

Golf Ball Size 1-3/4"

Baseball Size 2-3/4"

Rainfall Intensity

Light Less than 0.2"/Hr.

Moderate 0.2" to 1.0"/Hr.

Heavy 1.1" to 2.2"/Hr. (Minimum reportable rain)

Very heavy 2.3" to 4.5"/Hr.

Intense 4.6" to 7.1"/Hr.

Extreme More than 7.1"/Hr.

Wind Speed (Miles Per Hour)

0 Smoke rises vertically

1-3 Smoke drifts but windvanes do not move

4-7 Wind felt on face, leaves rustle

8-12 Small twigs in motion

13-18 Dust raised, loose paper raised, small branches move

19-24 Small leafy trees move, crested wavelets form on water

25-31 Large branches in motion, whistling in wires

32-38 Whole trees in motion, inconvenience felt walking against wind

39-54 Twigs break off trees

55-72 Damage to chimneys, pushes over shallow rooted trees

72-112 Peels surface off roofs, windows broken, trailer homes overturned

113-157 Roofs torn off houses, trailers destroyed, large trees snapped and uprooted

158 & Up Severe damage, cars lifted off ground

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