NWS Phoenix SKYWARN/Weather Spotter Program

NWS Phoenix SKYWARN/Storm Spotter Program

South-Central & Southwest Arizona and far Southeast California (map)

When significant, or severe weather occurs anywhere within the Phoenix County Warning Area, the Weather Service turns to the SkywarnTM Spotter Network to obtain timely and accurate reports. This network is comprised of individuals or groups, generally associated with the following: 1) Emergency Service Organizations (Fire, Police, etc), 2) Volunteer Organizations (HAM Radio, Citizens' Band Radio, etc), 3) Individual Citizens, 4) Cooperative Observers. Spotters should be at least 18 years of age though exceptions can be made on a case by case basis with pre-approval needed.

Even with sophisticated technology like radar and satellites, there are a variety of atmospheric phenomena that require the human eye to detect and/or confirm. This information is called "ground truth" and is provided by trained weather spotters throughout the year. When hazardous weather occurs, Spotters provide detailed eye witness descriptions of the conditions to the local National Weather Service office by means of the Web, email, phone, or amateur radio. Spotters in Southern Gila, La Paz, Maricopa, Northwest Pinal, Yuma, Imperial (CA), and Eastern Riverside (CA) counties should report to the Phoenix forecast office. Click here for a map.

Spotters should provide the following information:

WHO they are (Spotter ID)
WHAT they saw or are seeing,
WHERE they are or where they were when it was going on.
WHEN the reportable conditions were first observed.

Reporting Criteria

The following criteria are what spotters should report to the National Weather Service - Phoenix.

Tornado (on the ground)
Funnel Cloud (tail NOT touching the ground)
Storm Damage (deaths, injuries, broken tree limbs, shingles off roofs, etc.)
Flooding (streets, running washes, etc.)
Low Visibility (less than 1 mile due to dust, sand, fog, etc. - except rain)
Microburst (visual confirmation of ‘toe’/ ‘foot’ feature)
Rotating Wall Cloud
Heavy Rainfall (measured ½ inch or more accumulation in 30 minutes or less)
Hail (diameter of largest stone - any size)
Snow (accumulating or not)

Reporting Methods

Trained Spotters should utilize the methods outlined in the class (webpage, email, phone, radio). For those who are not trained Spotters, you can send us a Tweet or post to our Facebook page.

Training

To become a Skywarn Spotter for the NWS Phoenix office requires attending a free 2 hour training class. Our office conducts spotter classes both in-person and virtually. Typically, this occurs during the April through June time frame. Refresher training is required once every two years (i.e. every other year).

The classes teach people how to properly identify and report significant weather phenomena and thereby contribute to public safety. You will learn about how thunderstorms work, how to identify cloud features associated with microbursts and tornadoes, and how your reports tie in to warnings and advisories issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). In addition, you will learn about all of the services available from the NWS.

Adult SKYWARN^TM volunteers are community minded individuals who understand that they play a role in public safety by providing storm information to the National Weather Service.

*** We especially need new spotters in more rural areas of our forecast area (County Warning Area - CWA)***

2026 Training Class Schedule

Registration is required to attend***

Date	Time	Location	Registration***	Notes
Thursday, April 9, 2026	6-8 PM MST	Avondale Visitor & Conference Center Avondale, AZ 85323	Register Here	Class capacity limited to 80 people. Registration closes once capacity is reached.
Friday, April 10, 2026	6-8 PM MST	Tempe Fire Training Center Tempe, AZ 85288	Closed. Capacity reached.	Class capacity limited to 40 people. Registration closes once capacity is reached.
Thursday, April 23, 2026	6-8 PM MST	Fountain Hills Community Center Fountain Hills, AZ 85268	Register Here	Class capacity limited to 50 people. Registration closes once capacity is reached.
Thursday, May 7, 2026	6-8 PM MST	Virtual	Register Here
Thursday, May 28, 2026	6-8 PM MST	Virtual	Register Here

Amateur Radio ("HAM" radio)

When a Skywarn Net has been activated for public safety purposes, trained Spotters who are amateur radio operators may submit storm reports by radio. There are also weekly routine Nets utilizing the same frequencies (see below). These routine Nets are a good way to test how readily you can connect to those repeaters as well as practice interacting with a Net Controller.

Maricopa and Pinal Counties - Sector 2: