WINNEMUCCA - There are five new storm spotters in the Winnemucca area, who will work with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Elko to report on weather conditions where they are. NWS Senior Meteorologist Brian Boyd presented Storm Spotter Training on Jan. 7.
Humboldt County Commissioners Marlene Brissenden and Jim French, who both attended the latest 2-hour long training session said it was fast-paced and very interesting with many great photos of weather and other disaster situations from across the country as well as some specific to northern Nevada.
Boyd told the class that, even with weather radar and all of the other equipment available to help report and predict the weather, input from trained storm spotters is invaluable. He said radar has severe limitations, but when on-the-ground verification and observation are combined with what shows up on radar, the result is an improved information and warning system. Boyd said spotters help improve NWS warnings by functioning as their the eyes in the field.
"We have some severe radar gaps in northern Nevada," Boyd said, "we need spotters to fill in the blanks." In addition to the gaps in radar
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coverage, eyewitness reports can help meteorologists more easily interpret what the radar images represent, particularly images that are further from the radar source.
Boyd also delineated the difference between a weather "watch" and a weather "warning". He explained that when NWS designates a "watch" in a weather report or forecast, it is a call to be extra alert and watchful because conditions are favorable or likely to become favorable for a severe weather event to develop. A weather "warning" is a more urgent communication that severe weather has occurred or is about to occur and people in the warning area need to take protective action.
The distinction between a watch and a warning is important because if a warning is given prematurely or without sufficient cause, people are likely to become complacent and stop taking the action necessary to protect themselves or their property. He emphasized the need for storm spotters to be very specific. "A report of 'debris in the river' can mean anything from twigs, leaves, and mud in the river to cows, refrigerators and motor homes floating by," he quipped.
When reporting hail, Boyd said size counts! He gave the storm spotters specific size criteria, using common objects for comparison. Penny-sized hail is not a great concern, but when hail reaches the size of a quarter or a golf ball, it can do some serious damage. Winnemucca's fourth of July hailstorm produced quarter and slightly larger hail, and did exactly the types of damage Boyd was talking about.
Boyd outlined specific indicators and conditions that would need be present to qualify an event for a watch and for a warning, and said that sending a photo in a text or an email to the weather service is an ideal way for those in the NWS office to see exactly what is occurring. He went over flood criteria, and shared an almost unbelievable fact. Boyd said, "About 18 inches of water can cause any vehicle to become buoyant; two to three feet of water can wash away a loaded semi."
Boyd taught about differentiating between types of thunderstorms, and understanding the danger from lightning. He shared another surprising fact: people are usually cautious enough that during the height of a lightning storm, when the danger is highest, they stay indoors; however, most of those struck by lightning are struck when the storm is approaching or receding because they go back outside, thinking it's safe. "If you hear the thunder, you can be struck by lightning," said Boyd, noting that lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the center of the storm.
Boyd also went over tornadoes. One of the funnel cloud photos he shared at the training was taken 10 miles southwest of Winnemucca on Easter Sunday of 2011. Another was in Crescent Valley near Elko in June of 2009, and another was 10 miles west of Elko. He noted that, although northern Nevada has fewer severe weather events than some other areas of the country, they do occur.
The range of weather events that volunteer weather spotters report to the NWS include severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and flash flooding, quarter or larger-size hail, non-thunderstorm high wind events and heavy snow.
When trained storm spotters, or even members of the general public observe weather conditions they feel should be reported, Boyd said the weather service is the place to call because NWS is the entity best able to get the information out to those who need it. It's important to call it in, give the storm or weather event location, along with the start and end time of the event. The severe weather report number to call is 1-866-326-5364.
He emphasized that number should only be used to report weather. The number to call for questions about weather forecasts or other weather details is 775-778-6720.[[In-content Ad]]
