SKYWARN Net Reporting Guide
Severe weather spotter reports for Macomb County
When the SKYWARN Net is activated, Net Control collects ground-truth severe-weather reports from trained spotters and relays them to the National Weather Service in White Lake.
Macomb County Spotter-Report Map
Net Control / Spotter useSpotter reports plotted on this map are pushed in by Net Control from the SKYWARN log spreadsheet during an active net — this map is read-only. Toggle the Radar layer to overlay live NEXRAD base reflectivity from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.
How the SKYWARN Net Is Run
- Check-ins are taken in condition STAND-BY and condition GREEN only.
- When in YELLOW or RED, Net Control will announce the condition of the net frequently and tell those who did not check in but are available that they will be given a chance to check in later.
- Give reports for only the weather conditions requested by Net Control. If you have nothing to say regarding those conditions, remain silent.
- Do not leave the net without reporting to Net Control. If you must leave, contact Net Control and request that they excuse you.
Priority Traffic
Events and/or conditions that are obviously a significant threat to life or limb. This means your traffic concerns an immediate safety issue.
Emergency Traffic
The highest message possible. Must involve messages containing absolute danger of death or serious injury if your message is not transmitted immediately.
Weather Conditions → Typical Net Status
Net Control sets the operational condition based on what NWS has issued. Use this as a quick guide for what to expect when you tune in.
| Weather Condition | Typical Net Status | Check-Ins |
|---|---|---|
| Approaching Severe Storm | INACTIVE or STAND-BY | Yes |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | CONDITION GREEN | Yes |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | CONDITION YELLOW | No |
| Tornado Watch | CONDITION YELLOW | No |
| Tornado Warning | CONDITION RED | No |
What Net Control Will Accept
Net Control will only accept reports of the following criteria. Always include the requested details so the report is useful to NWS.
| # | Report | Required Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hail | Diameter (e.g., quarter, golf ball, baseball) |
| 2 | Damaging Winds | Estimated speed, direction, and any damage observed |
| 3 | Heavy or Torrential Rains | Visibility near zero (otherwise it's just rain) |
| 4 | Flooding | Water over curbs or roads (not just puddles) |
| 5 | Wall Clouds | Direction, rotation (if any), movement/speed |
| 6 | Funnel Clouds | Direction, rotation (if any), movement/speed |
| 7 | Tornadoes | Direction, rotation (if any), movement/speed, debris if any |
REPORT THIS
- Hail: penny / quarter / half-dollar size or larger (golf ball, baseball, softball)
- Flooding: major highways closed, roads impassable, cars stranded, rivers overflowing banks, ice-jam flooding
- Tornadoes & funnels: tornado with debris cloud, funnel cloud, waterspout
- Damaging winds: downed trees / wires, structural damage, estimated speed
- Torrential rain: visibility at or near zero
NOT THAT
- Sirens going off — outdoor warning sirens are activated at the discretion of the county and are unrelated to this net. Net Control is already aware they are sounding; please do not tie up the frequency reporting them.
- Sunny skies or no rain
- Pea-size hail, graupel, snow grains, or ice pellets
- Shallow ponding on a passable road, especially after the rain has stopped
- Wall clouds without rotation, low-level scud clouds, mammatus clouds
- Lightning (unless it caused damage you can describe)
- RADAR images or precipitation cores from a screen — spotters report what they see outside
How to Make a Report on the Net
- Check the site’s condition status first. Look at the alerts bar at the top of every page on this site for the current net condition (Stand-By / Green / Yellow / Red). If the bar shows no condition, the net is not active and you do not need to break in.
- Listen first. Make sure the frequency is clear and Net Control is calling for reports.
- Break with your callsign. Wait for Net Control to acknowledge you before continuing.
- State your location. City and nearest cross streets are ideal — not just “my house”.
- State the time of the observation (or “right now” if it's currently happening).
- Give one specific observation from the accepted-reports list above with the required details.
- Stand by in case Net Control or NWS needs clarification.
NWS Reporting Thresholds
What to Report
-
Wind gusts of 40 mph or greater
Severe criteria: 58 mph or greater
-
Hail ½ inch diameter or greater
Severe criteria: 1 inch diameter or greater
- Tornadoes, waterspouts, or funnel clouds
- Post-storm damage — even if the storm has long passed
- Water covering roads or threatening property
- Rainfall rates greater than 1 inch per hour
Other NWS Requirements
- When reporting wind or hail, tell us whether it was measured or estimated.
- Give the time the event occurred — not the time you are reporting.
-
Give the location of the event:
- Distance and direction from the nearest town, or
- Major street intersections, or
- Latitude and longitude (if available)
Wind Scale
Bold = severe warning criteria| MPH | Description |
|---|---|
| 25–31 | Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires |
| 32–38 | Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt walking through the wind |
| 39–54 | Twigs break off trees; wind generally impedes progress |
| 55–72 | Damage to chimneys, TV antennas; shallow-rooted trees toppled |
| 73–112 | Peels surfaces off roofs; windows broken; light mobile homes overturned; moving cars pushed off road |
| 113–157 | Roofs torn off houses; cars lifted off ground |
Hail Size Correlation
Always describe hail by a familiar object, not just diameter, so Net Control can pass it clearly to NWS. Items at or above ½ inch are reportable; 1 inch (quarter) or greater is severe-warning criteria.
| Pea | 0.25 in |
| Penny | 0.75 in |
| Nickel | 0.88 in |
| Quarter | 1.00 in |
| Half Dollar | 1.25 in |
| Ping Pong | 1.50 in |
| Golf Ball | 1.75 in |
| Lime | 2.00 in |
| Tennis Ball | 2.50 in |
| Baseball | 2.75 in |
| Large Apple | 3.00 in |
| Softball | 4.00 in |
| Grapefruit | 4.50 in |
| CD / DVD | 4.75–5.00 in |
4-Season Reporting
- Snow — Report when the first inch has fallen, each additional 2 inches, storm total, and 12-hour totals ending at 7 am/pm.
- Rain — Report amounts of 1 inch or greater in 24 hours.
- Freezing Rain / Sleet — Estimate the amount of glazing (e.g., ¼ inch, ½ inch).
- Flooding and Ice Jams — Water covering roads or threatening property.
- Non-Thunderstorm Wind Gusts — 40+ mph or damage caused by strong winds.
- Fog — Report when visibility reaches ¼ mile or lower.
Other Ways to Report to NWS Detroit
- Facebook: NWSDetroit
- X: @NWSDetroit
- County Net (this net — relayed by Net Control)
-
Winlink:
[email protected] - E-mail: [email protected]
- Mobile App: mPing — mping.nssl.noaa.gov
Web Links of Interest
- Macomb County Skywarn on Facebook Official Macomb County Skywarn Facebook Page
- www.weather.gov/dtx NWS Detroit/Pontiac Homepage
- www.weather.gov/dtx/spot_train Spotter Resources
- www.weather.gov/dtx/skywarncert Skywarn Spotter Certificate
- www.weather.gov/crh/stormreports?sid=dtx How to Report
- www.spc.noaa.gov NWS Storm Prediction Center
- www.ready.gov Storm Preparedness
- www.weather.gov/owlie/publication_brochures NWS Brochures
- www.weather.gov/safety/ NWS Safety Infographics
- www.weather.gov/media/owlie/SGJune6-11(1).pdf Advanced Spotter Guide (PDF)