“There’sna tornado forming near Agra, Kansas!”
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n“I’mnexperiencing high winds in the Tejon Pass, on the Grapevine, here innCalifornia!”
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n“It’snbeen snowing steadily all day here in Dillon, Montana, but now it’snhailing. Big time!”
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nThesenare the sort of radio reports that volunteers often send to thenNational Weather Service. With volunteer weather spotters equippednwith ham radios and living all over the U.S., the NWS can establishnand verify weather warnings. And weather warnings help all of us.
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nIt’snnot just hurricane and tornado warnings. There are flash floodnwarnings, high winds warnings, snowfall and hailstorm warnings. I’veneven heard warnings that lightning is expected with a particularnstorm.
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nThisnis a day that celebrates contributions to public safety made by allnthe volunteer weather spotters.
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nDoesnit have to be ham radio?
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nInwould think that nowadays Twitter and Facebook would be a valuablensource of extreme weather information. It turns out that about 30nthousand people follow NWS on Twitter to get weather info andnwarnings, and we the public can use Twitter, Facebook,ncomputers, ham radio, and telephones to report local weathernconditions to the NWS, too. For example, here is the NWS pagenfor Gaylord, MI, telling how to make a report in these various ways.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nPay It Forward Day
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nPortugal’sRestoration of Independence Day
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