Skywarn is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. Skywarn spotters support their local community and government by providing the NWS with real-time severe weather reports. These reports, when received by meteorologists and integrated with modern NWS technology, can then be used to inform citizens of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens.

For more information about the other services Amateur Radio Operators provide across the Greater Cleveland area, please visit www.n8esg.org.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY SKYWARN

Cuyahoga County Skywarn is responsible for coordinating the Skywarn spotters who are also licensed amateur radio operators. We ensure the timely collection of severe weather reports via two-way radio. Skywarn is not a program of the ARRL or ARES, nor do we have any club affiliations (but we are grateful for the clubs that allow us to use their repeaters).  Amateur radio Skywarn volunteers need not be a member of the ARRL, ARES, or any club to participate.

CLEVELAND SKYWARN

Cuyahoga County Skywarn is also responsible for providing amateur radio support for the Cleveland Office of the National Weather Service. We use a wide-area 6 meter repeater (The Backbone) that covers most of the county warning area to deliver reports from trained spotters in the field to forecasters in near real-time. This helps the forecasters issue more accurate warnings sooner, which in turn helps to ensure public safety.  Backbone net control operators work out of the National Weather Service forecast office in Cleveland.

The county warning area consists of the 30 counties covered by the Cleveland NWS office. During a severe weather event, each county will run a net that gathers reports from spotters in the field.  A liaison station checked into this net filters and passes those reports on to WX8CLE at Cleveland Weather.  Please do not make reports directly to the backbone unless no local nets are in operation. See the Backbone Training Info page for more information.

Cuyahoga County Skywarn Coordination Team

Coordinator: Mat Nickoson KC8NZJ

Assistant Coordinator: Carl Gedeon KB8VXE

Assistant Coordinator: Ed Rivers W8IE

Cleveland Weather Training Manager: Jason Boone N8JPB