If there’s one thing we can count on every spring in Texoma, it’s severe weather. And when the severe weather threatens our area, several people get busy and head out to various locations to keep an eye on it. We call them Skywarn Storm Spotters. This network of amateur radio operators functions as the virtual eyes of the National Weather Service and via a network control operator here in Wichita Falls they’re in constant communication with the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, providing real-time input on what the forecasters are seeing on their radar screens and computer readouts. We monitor them here at the radio station to know what’s going on and let you know more accurately what to expect in your area.

Each year, a representative from the National Weather Service comes to our area to update the Spotters on what’s new with the NWS and to train them on what to watch for and how to do it safely.

The next National Weather Service Spotter Talk will be Saturday, February 9th, at 9:00 a.m. in the MPEC exhibit hall seminar room.

These presentations are free and you don’t even need to be a Storm Spotter to attend. If you listen to the spotters chatting and reporting on their amateur radio frequencies, this is a great time to meet some of them and see the people who drop everything in the middle of the day or get up in the middle of the night to head out into the storm and make sure that you get the warning information you need to stay safe. It's also a really good way to learn more about the severe weather we're likely to see in our area this spring.

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