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The NWS is especially interested in the following:

1. Funnel cloud or tornado.
2. Wall cloud with or without rotation
3. Location (reference to town or major roads)
4. Event Time - Always give a time. This is important!! Most all reports older than 15 minutes are of little or no use during a severe weather event. DO NOT send in reports from a second source such as news media...Example: "Channel 83 says it’s all clear in Limestone county" or "they are saying on the scanner in XYZ county that it is clearing to the west."These kind of reports only confuse the conduct of this net and it’s purpose!
5. Wind speeds in mph, remember that severe begins at 58.
6. Hail - Always give hail size in reference to coins such as dime, quarter or 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch hail...etc.. Generally, less than a quarter of an inch should not be reported. Avoid using "marble or pea size" to describe the size.
7. Flash Flooding

For a guide to estimating hail and wind speed, check out this page at the Birmingham NWS...http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/skywarn/hailwind.html

When sending a report in to the Net Control Operator:ALWAYS relay your report with reference to the nearest city or town.. For example: I am seeing a wall cloud in the Moorseville community 3 miles northeast of Decatur. This reference to the nearest town or city will help NWS officials in Huntsville who are new to the area and not aware of the location of the hundreds of small communities and crossroads in north Alabama. Please remember that the purpose of the net is to RECEIVE severe weather reports from spotters in the field and help the NWS verify what they are seeing on radar.. The net is not intended as a "one stop weather source" for all weather information you may request for a certain area... The net may relay conditions in a certain area for the storm spotter’s safety, but detailed weather information requests to net control for a particular community only tie up the frequency, and should be gathered from NOAA weather radio, TV or Broadcast Radio. It is not the intent of this net to provide amateur radio operators with "up to the minute forecasts for their community." Please remember that in order for the net to be successful in it’s true purpose.

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