Welcome to Wakefield SKYWARN!

This is your "one stop shop" for everything SKYWARN related. Whether you are a Trained Spotter, a Net Control Station, local Emergency Manager, or simply a local "Weather Nut" we hope you find the information on this site useful, and we hope you will get involved in the SKYWARN program.

For general SKYWARN Spotter training information, consult the National Weather Service Wakefield SKYWARN information.

The NWS Wakefield SKYWARN Amateur Radio Support Team is a team of over 60 dedicated volunteers who collect reports from the amateur radio community for relay to the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Wakefield, Virginia. Our current operational footprint includes 66 counties and independent cities in portions of three states, covering over 3.3 million residents.
[Learn more | Mission and Values]

SKYWARN Frequency and Operational Changes in Area 2

On November 26, 2011, routine SKYWARN net activations were suspended in the Southern Virginia area while some issues with the designated SKYWARN repeaters were being resolved. Some frequency changes have been made and are now in effect:

The following are no longer designated for Wakefield SKYWARN use:

• 146.625 MHz K4SVA in Jarratt, VA
• 443.525 MHz K4MJO in South Hill, VA
• 442.350 MHz K4MJO in Margarettsville, NC
• IRLP Node 4852, K4MJO in South Hill, VA

Effective December 12, 2011, the following are designated SKYWARN repeaters in the Southern Virginia area:

• 146.745 MHz N4WFU in Roanoke Rapids, NC
• 147.000 MHz KB2AHZ in South Hill, VA
• IRLP Node 8561, N4WFU in Roanoke Rapids, NC
• IRLP Reflector 9211 in Raleigh, NC

We work hard to maintain mutually beneficial relationships with our repeater operators but sometimes changes are necessary. We appreciate the continued support of Barry N4WFU and Chuck KB2AHZ, and extend special recognition to Barry for the installation of IRLP in support of SKYWARN.

Routine SKYWARN net activations remain suspended in Area 2 until refresher training can be offered to the SKYWARN Net Control Operators in that area, currently targeted for late winter 2012. SKYWARN will continue to activate for high-impact weather events such as major winter storms, tornado warnings, etc., but is currently operated with limited staffing.

Please take a moment to read the Open Letter Regarding SKYWARN Amateur Radio Operations in Southern Virginia. Questions regarding these changes should be directed to Steve Crow KG4PEQ.

Subscribe to SKYWARN Announcements via E-mail

Join our announce-only Google Group to receive SKYWARN news and activation notifications via e-mail. It's free and keeps you up-to-date on SKYWARN happenings in central and southeast Virginia and northeast North Carolina. Plus .. be the first to find out how to register for our free weather alerts service, coming in early 2011!