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Welcome to the North Alabama/Southern Middle Tennessee SKYWARN Network website

Here, you can find out what this organization is all about, also get related weather information from NOAA’s National Weather Service of Huntsville, Alabama and the Storm Prediction Center of Norman, Oklahoma.

The preferred mode for traffic into this net is via a liaison station from a local county net. (see below). Individuals are encouraged to “check-in” with their local emergency net instead of the SKYWARN net. It is critical that people in your county get the information as quickly as possible. This also makes the net more efficient, since the North Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee SKYWARN net control operator is only having to communicate with around 10 liaisons when a request for specific info comes from the National Weather Service. The North Alabama-Southern Middle Tennessee SKYWARN Net will, however, recognize ANY station that has emergency or priority traffic

To participate in this net one needs:

  1. An FCC Amateur Radio License Technician Class or higher…
  2. A willingness to volunteer his/her services…
  3. A thorough understanding of these operating procedures….

This network will utilize a linked VHF repeater system, which provides optimal coverage for all of the North Alabama counties and links those counties to the Huntsville NWS office. The linked repeater system is designed to allow stations to use low powered handheld and mobile radios, thereby eliminating the risk of operating on an external antenna during thunderstorms. With the linked repeater system, it is possible to set up direct communications between persons located virtually anywhere across North Alabama/Southern Middle Tennessee and that traffic can be monitored by the National Weather Service in Huntsville.

The linked repeater frequencies are (Click here for a graphic with a map)

  • 146.960 (Moulton/NW AL) – N4IDX Repeater – Tone 107.2
  • 147.240 (Huntsville/N AL) – KB4CRG Repeater – Tone 100.0
  • 147.090 (Fabius/NE AL) – W4SBO Repeater – Tone 203.5
  • 442.775 (Huntsville/N AL) – KB4CRG Repeater – Tone 107.2
  • 147.340 (Leighton/NW AL) – AC4EG Repeater – Tone 100.0
  • 147.030 (Park City, TN) – W4BV Repeater – Tone 114.8
  • 146.820 (Winchester, TN) – W4UOT Repeater – Tone 114.8

This net recognizes that each county is responsible for organizing it’s SKYWARN personnel and encourages each county to hold an ongoing net on their local frequency. It is preferable that stations “check-in” with a local net. It is recommended that these local nets be coordinated with the county EMA, and that provisions be made to have an operator at the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) to be a net liaison.

Click here for more information on Activation Standards

NWS is especially interested in the following:

Funnel cloud or tornado.
Wall cloud with or without rotation
Location (reference to town or major roads)
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!
Wind speeds in mph, remember that severe begins at 58.
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.
Flash Flooding

When reporting to the Net Control Operator, remember the following:

  • ALWAYS relay your report with reference to the nearest city or town.. For example: I am seeing a wall cloud in the Mooresville 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.”