Skywarn™ and Spotter Information

Do you have an interest in the weather? Are you always looking on the horizon for the next storm? Then maybe you can be the 'eyes and hears' of the National Weather Service as a Storm Spotter.

A Storm Spotter is an individual who volunteers their time by alerting the National Weather Service to significant weather events. By doing so, these individuals provide critical ground truth for radar echoes, snowfall amounts and flooding issues to name a few. These reports are vital to enhancing the National Weather Service Forecast and Warning programs. The San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area National Weather Service Office currently has over 800 spotters along the Central California Coastal Region.

Any individual who is willing to volunteer their time and lives in one of the following counties: Alameda , Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey , Napa , San Benito , San Francisco , San Mateo , Santa Clara , Santa Cruz and Sonoma .

The easiest way to become a Storm Spotter is to attend a Storm Spotter training session in person. To view the latest scheduled training please visit www.weather.gov/sanfrancisco. At this time it is not mandatory to attend a training session to become a Storm Spotter, but it is highly recommended. If no training classes are scheduled you may contact, Matthew Mehle by email or by writing to:

National Weather Service Forecast Office
Attn: Storm Spotter Program Manager
21 Grace Hopper Ave , Stop 5
Monterey , CA 93943-5505

• TORNADO (on the ground) or FUNNEL CLOUD (not touching the ground)
• WIND (estimated or measured at 35 mph or more)
• RAINFALL (one-half inch (0.5) or more in one hour)
• FLOODING (of any kind)
• DAMAGE and/or DEATHS and/or INJURIES (due to weather event)
• HAIL (of any size)
• VISIBILITY (less than 1/4 mile, for any reason)
• SNOWFALL (of any amount)

• Summer/Fall 2010
• Summer/Fall 2009
• Winter 2009
• Fall 2008
• Summer 2007