Our field team of spotters are located all over Walworth county and surrounding counties. We are people from all walks of life with the common interest in weather spotting.
We welcome anyone who shares this same interest, and has taken some training in severe storm spotting.
Our team has both Amateur radio operators (Ham) and non-Ham volunteers. This team does not require that you become a ham radio operator. This does not mean that Hams know more than anyone else about storm spotting. It just happens to be the preferred means of communication for those that have the license in the storm spotting arena.
It is your knowledge of storm spotting and the willingness to volunteer your time when severe weather strikes that helps the most.
If you have not had any training, but are interested in doing so, please click the "Becoming a Spotter" tab for more information.
Why do we storm spot?
1. Safety
Safety for our own families, for our neighbors, our communities. The more anyone can learn about the signs of severe weather, and the basic way that storms work, it can help people to plan and stay safe when severe weather strikes.
2. Ground truth information
Ground truth reports help the National Weather Service to paint a picture of what is going on in an area. With all the radar images you see on TV or on your computer or weather app on your phone, that image does NOT show what is happening AT ground level. That is where the spotters role comes in. What we report to the NWS helps them to understand what IS going on ground level, at that time.