Skywarn Recognition Day
Skywarn Recognition Day:
Celebrated annually on every first Saturday in December, the Skywarn Recognition Day honors the efforts of volunteers who report the weather and other emergency warnings thereby helping keep their communities safe! The weather communications are sent to the National Weather Service. Aren’t these contributions heroic? Wake up and let’s celebrate these life-saving services today!
Year | Date | Day | Where |
2020 | 5th December | Saturday | United States |
2021 | 6th December | Saturday | United States |
2022 | 7th December | Saturday | United States |
Twitter Hashtags:
#SkywarnRecognitionDay
Why Skywarn Recognition Day?
The weather of a region plays a significant role in the livelihood and economy. The US National Weather Service (NWS) works towards preventing the loss of life and property due to severe weather. To accomplish this mission the NWS collaborated with amateur radio operators across the US to Receive real-time information on weather from the field.
The NWS started a program SKYWARN during the 1960s that enabled thousands of trained radio volunteers to participate in reporting severe weather conditions. These operators communicate the wind speed during hurricanes, the height of floodwaters, or the position of a tornado to the NWS. These reports are used to fill the gaps in the information acquired from other sources such as Satellite and Doppler radar to warn the public and inform them to take necessary actions during dangerous weather.
Thus in 1990, the NWS along with the American Radio Relay League(ARRL) founded the SKYWARN Recognition Day to honor the voluntary contributions of thousands of amateur radio operators who play a critical role in keeping the public safe and informed about severe weather conditions.
Across the US, you can find over 290,000 SKYWARN weather reporters who volunteer their time in spotting unusual weather conditions. The Skywarn spotters undergo training of various sorts and use amateur radio to communicate to NWS.
Although the NWS and ARRL founded this day on November 27, 1999, we do not know the reasons for choosing the first Saturday in December as Skywarn Recognition Day. This day recognizes the members of the SKYWARN program as local and National assets!
How Can We Observe Skywarn Recognition Day?
- Participate in SKYWARN Recognition Day
If you are a Skywarn spotter, visit a nearby National Weather Service office or get in touch with other radio operators to participate in Skywarn Recognition Day!
- Thank a few Skywarn spotters today!
Take time to thank a Skywarn spotter you know! Send A handwritten note or leave a message on their social media page to show your appreciation!
- Learn more about Skywarn spotters
If you don’t know much about the SKYWARN program, learn more about it and how you can become a Skywarn spotter on skywarn.org!
- Become a Skywarn spotter
If you love what the Skywarn spotters do, celebrate this day by enrolling to become a Skywarn spotter! You will undergo various training to begin contributing to the US NWS!
- Share about Skywarn Recognition Day on social media
Share about Skywarn Recognition Day with friends and family on social media and encourage them to celebrate the day too! Use #SkywarnRecognitionDay for posting on social media platforms!
Interesting Facts About Skywarn Recognition Day:
Here are a few fun facts surrounding the Skywarn Recognition Day!
- Hurricanes and storms started getting named since 1953
- Fire whirls are wildfire tornadoes
- The windiest place in the Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica, where winds blowing at 200mph were recorded
- Hundred lightning bolts are estimated to strike the earth every second
- During Ancient times, ancestors predicted the weather by observing the environment. Often, they were right!
- A red sky at sunset meant fair weather and the same during sunrise meant rain
- Ring around the moon meant it was going to rain
- Clear moon during the fall and winters seasons meant cold weather
- Higher clouds mean good weather
- Lower clouds meant storm is approaching
- Observe the scales of a pine. If they close up, it means cold weather is soon to come!
- The maximum speed a raindrop could hit you is 18 mph
- You won’t hear the wind make any sound until it comes in contact with an object
- In 1864, the weather was so cold that for two months the Thames River in England remained frozen
- The air around the lightning bolt reaches 30,000-degree celsius making it five times hotter than the Sun’s surface.
History Of Skywarn Recognition Day:
The Skywarn Recognition Day was founded by the National Weather Service (NWS) and the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) on November 27, 1999. The day was founded to emphasize the vital role played by amateur radio operators during severe weather! However, the reasons for choosing the first Saturday in December is not known.