Special Announcement: Live SKYWARN Training Classes for the Spring of 2020 Cancelled Due to COVID-19 and Contingency Measures for Training in Review
Hello to all…
As posted on our WX1BOX Twitter feed, SKYWARN Training classes for the Spring of 2020 have been cancelled due to COVID-19. We have also posted this information on the wx1box.org web site and it is posted on the NWS web site via the following links:
WX1BOX Training Schedule Link:
https://wx1box.org/skywarn-training-schedule-2020/
NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Training Schedule link:
https://www.weather.gov/box/skywarn#fragment-2a
We are looking into potentially providing a couple of webinars in the future and the logistics of that are under review. Any new people interested in becoming a SKYWARN spotter are required to take a live class but given these unprecedented events, we are reviewing if an online method can meet the standards we set for becoming a spotter. This may or may not be allowed depending if we can make the training and any quiz after the training meet the standards the forecasters would like to see for new people to become spotters and we can have an easy online method for issuing spotter ID numbers using the tools of technology available. As we get those logistics laid out and sessions planned, we will keep all of you informed.
For SKYWARN spotters who have already been trained at a live class in the past and are looking to get refresher training if they haven’t been retrained in 5 years or more, you can view the Youtube video of the training and take the refresher quiz to be retrained, see the following links for the training and the refresher quiz (both available as links off the wx1box.org and weather.gov/box web sites as well):
NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Refresher Training Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRrxih-2d6Q
NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Refresher Quiz:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBDZx-__KPU5d7GcYPEH9ChAu_hClwcabWLQYs7JlncwzDzw/viewform
At this time, Amateur Radio Operations at WX1BOX, the Amateur Radio station at the NWS Boston/Norton office, will be utilized as needed for severe weather operations that reach a certain scale per the normal process assuming we have healthy operators available to operate at the station. It is viewed as a mission critical operation. As always, we will utilize remote/self-activation protocols where needed for smaller weather events. We may also consider some sort of regional Amateur Radio SKYWARN Information Net during this time to keep folks readiness for weather events high as we navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and we will keep folks posted on where that will be done.
We will keep everyone informed as we all navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Weather, including severe weather, will continue to happen as we move through this pandemic. We hope for everyone’s continued high contribution and support for weather spotting during severe weather in these difficult times and we hope as always, that people stay safe and stay healthy. Many thanks to all for your continued support of the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN program!
Respectfully Submitted,
Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
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