Sending this as a reminder... we have already had our first 2 activations.. and will be having more!!

here is the criteria that we need for the summer season

Net Activation:

Our Skywarn nets are activated in the following ways:

• Whenever the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Watch or Warning for our county.
• Severe weather anywhere in Southeast Michigan start to approach severe limits.
• Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado Warnings are in effect for counties surrounding us that might threaten us.

In the event of these last 2 cases, the net may be activated into standby status, even if no watches or warnings are in effect for Macomb County.

The NWS will hopefully be in touch with the net before any thunderstorms reach severe limits. However, due to the fast building nature of some storms, this is not always possible.

 

What to Report:

Condition Red: Tornado Warning

1. Tornado
2. Funnel Cloud
3. Wall Cloud
4. Damaging winds OVER 50 mph

Condition Yellow: Severe Thunderstorm Warning

1. All the above plus
2. Hail (give size)
3. Flooding (over curbs or roadways)
4. High winds

Condition Green: Tornado or Thunderstorm Watch

1. All the above plus
2. Gust Front Arrival
3. Approaching Thunderstorms
4. Torrential Rain (with near 0 visibility)

Please note that no where in this list is there any mention that we want reports of "the sun is out here" or "it has quit (or is not) raining here". If the net control operators want this information, they will specifically ask for them.