[WARC] NWS Storm Spotter Training Last Evening

[Daniel Goltz]

One correction to Len's summary:  1 inch hail is the new criteria for 
issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. previously it was 3/4 inch.  As far 
as reporting,  all hail of any size should still be reported. When 
reporting hail be sure to use a standard recognized by all such as coins, 
golf ball, baseball etc. (not marbles).  Also be sure to report the largest 
hail stone observed.
Dan,  WK0W.

At 11:36 AM 3/31/2009 -0500, Len Litvan wrote:
>There was a good Storm Spotter training session in St. Charles yesterday 
>evening.  It was led by Steve Thompson, who was assisted by a young lady, 
>Jessica, from the La Crosse NWS office.  There was a very good 
>turnout--maybe as many as 100 participants.
>
>Here are some highlight:
>
>The very basics for preparation when a threat may be near:
>
>Try to understand -
>- What is the nature of the main threat.
>- When is it going to happen.
>- Where is it going to happen.
>
>A very helpful web site for learning some of the above information is the 
>NWS Convective (thunderstorm) Outlook, which has been fairly 
>accurate:  http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/ .  It is updated 
>daily at 5:00AM and updated periodically during the day during dynamic 
>events, so it pays to check it during the course of the day.
>
>- On the these outlooks, if you are in an area indicated as High or 
>Moderate, be prepared to deploy.
>
>Steve said that good rule of thumb is that if an event is within two 
>counties of your location, plan for and think seriously about 
>deploying.  Winona County Emergency Management Office will call the 
>official deployments.  As a matter of policy, they will not call spotters 
>out at night because of spotter safety risks.
>
>June is the most active month for severe storms and tornadoes in the NWS 
>La Crosse area of responsibility, followed closely by July and May.  The 
>most serious threat in Winona County is flash flooding.  The county as a 
>unique position in MN in that it leads all counties in flash flood events.
>
>Winona County Emergency Management prefers amateurs to report severe 
>weather observations by radio if possible.  Otherwise, the phone number to 
>use is (507) 457-6351.
>
>There is a new criteria for reporting hail--one inch diameter (the size of 
>a quarter) or larger.
>
>Bob Bilder reported that here will be a tornado event simulation on April 
>23 this year.  No further information was passed on.
>
>Sincerely & 73,
>Len  KC0RSX
>
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Daniel L. Goltz
702 Spring Brook Dr.
Winona, MN 55987