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Skywarn is a National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. Skywarn volunteers support their local community by providing the NWS with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens. The key focus of the Skywarn program is to save lives and property through the use of the observations and reports of trained volunteers.

Skywarn volunteers donate thousands of hours and the use of their own personal radio equipment and vehicles to give their communities advanced warning of life threatening weather. Since the NWS instituted the Skywarn Program, there has been a significant decrease in the death rate due to tornadoes and other severe weather.

Spotter Items:

• Listen to SKYWARN Online: Central Carolina SKYWARN  |   Triad SKYWARN
• National Skywarn^TM Web Site
• How To Tweet Your Weather Report
• Information on joining the CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow) weather spotter network
• Click to download the new Weather Spotter's Field Guide  (replaces the traditional Basic and Advanced Storm Spotter's Guides)
• Want to send in a recent severe weather photo? Email your picture to nws.raleigh@noaa.gov and we may post it in our photo gallery.
• Be sure to follow the NWS on Facebook. Please note that you do not have to have a Facebook account to view our Facebook page; but if you do, be sure to "Like" our page.

Are you interested in hosting a SKYWARN Spotter Training Session?  

The NWS Raleigh frequently works with groups such as amateur radio clubs, emergency services organizations, schools, universities, and civic groups and clubs to host SKYWARN Spotter Training. If your group or club would like to host a training session in central North Carolina, please complete this survey. We require a mininum of 20 people to attend before we'll consider hosting a training session with any group.  

NWS Raleigh spotter ID numbers

NWS Raleigh has discontinued the issuance of, and use of spotter ID numbers. When making storm reports to the NWS Raleigh, please do not include a spotter ID number; instead, simply provide your name, location, details pertaining to the severe weather or damage, and contact information. Spotters who wish to obtain some sort of identification number are encouraged to consider becoming a CoCoRaHS observer to supplement their SKYWARN service.

Schedule of upcoming SKYWARN training sessions offered by NWS Raleigh: 

No in-person or live virtual training options are scheduled at this time.   Please check back frequently for updates to this schedule, and please consider our free web-based SKYWARN training options listed below.   In addition, please consider the training options offered by NWS Greenville-Spartanburg, as listed below.  

Free, web-based SKYWARN training:

If you prefer to take SKYWARN training on your own time, we offer two different free web-based training opportunities:  

• NWS Raleigh YouTube Spotter Training video.   Please see and follow the instructions in the description section below the training video.  

• COMET SKYWARN Spotter Training. This free web-based SKYWARN training class is available to the public, and is offered by the COMET MetED program. The NWS Raleigh is honoring this training and will include individuals who take this online training as part of its database of SKYWARN spotters for central North Carolina.

Other Training Items:

• Online Weather School

Local Skywarn^TM Groups:

• Central Carolina Skywarn^TM serving the Eastern Piedmont and Coastal Plain
• Triad SkywarnTM serving the Northwest Piedmont

Remember...Please email severe weather reports and pictures to nws.raleigh@noaa.gov