Skywarn Spotters

[tampabaynews]

Are Skywarn Spotters allowed to have amber lights on their vehicles? Or Does it go by state?

Laws regarding lights on vehicles differ from state to state. In Florida, spotters would not be able to use any flashing lights at all regardless of color. Consult your state law.

In FL,

Amber - All emergency services, public works, security, construction, wreckers/tow, oversize load, escorts for oversize loads and funerals.

White - All emergency services, construction.

Green - Security and incident command.

Red - All emergency services, volunteers with authorization.

Blue - Law enforcement.

 

[KD8DVR]

Are Skywarn Spotters allowed to have amber lights on their vehicles? Or Does it go by state?

Only if you are a "Whacker"

 

[KA9QPN]

If you think that you ought to have amber lights, by all means: get them. It will warn the sane spotters to keep away.

I have been spotting for too many years in urban and rural settings, and I cannot recall a condition where I would have wanted any kind of warning light.

 

[jonwienke]

Some states they are Banned.
Put a Yellow Bulb in them and...you now have Blue

No you won't. You're confusing additive color mixing (which applies to light sources) and subtractive color mixing (which applies to paints and pigments).

 

[ecps92]

Give it a try :roll: Local security did it for years, till they got written up

No you won't. You're confusing additive color mixing (which applies to light sources) and subtractive color mixing (which applies to paints and pigments).

 

[jonwienke]

Mixing yellow light and green light will never make blue light. That's why color TVs have red, green and blue LEDs, phosphors, or LCD segments.

Additive color - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
CMYK color model - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If the security guys were getting blue light out of the fixture, it is because they were using a blue light source, not yellow. Yellow is a combination of red and green light, as shown in this photo:

 

[elk2370bruce]

Are Skywarn Spotters allowed to have amber lights on their vehicles? Or Does it go by state?

No. No state will approve any color lights for a Skywarn spotter. If you're that close that you might need them, you're too damned close. We are NOT an emergency responder. If you got into Skywarn to have lights, you joined for the wrong reasons. Many of us have been NWS trained spotters for years and have been taught to stay out of harms way and report what we see. Nothing more.

 

[KF5YDR]

Whacker alert.

 

[KD8DVR]

Whacker alert.

Unfortunately too many of those now. In our ares 95% of reports are useless, provided by untrained people who only want to have their voices heard. The trained folks you rarely hear; because they either are avoiding the "whacker nets" or honestly have no sever weather to report.

 

[KF5YDR]

Also, Doppler radar and satellite imagery. Skywarn as a necessity is a thing of the past.

 

[n4yek]

Also, Doppler radar and satellite imagery. Skywarn as a necessity is a thing of the past.

Doppler can't tell if a tornado is on the ground. It can only see rotation. Someone has to verify a tornado touch down.

 

[KF5YDR]

Fair enough.

 

[robertmac]

For those not in Canada, Environment Canada makes request for storm/skywarn reports. Now, Canadian Doppler may not be as high tech as some countries, so they do rely on local reports as n4yek states that Doppler can't see if a rotation touches down. Nor can they report hail or size of hail. For those wacker bashers, we shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush. Some have more intelligence and training.

 

[DocCLB]

NOTHING in the course I took to be a spotter mentioned anything about "lights on a vehicle", at least anything I can recall...It's been a few years. At best, there's magnet "SKYWARN" logos you can slap on your vehicle.

Last time I checked, 99.999999% of operating vehicles in North America have flashing lights already installed called "hazard lights" It's a big red button in the center console on both of my vehicles.

OP: If you want to have colorful flashing lights, go get an EMT license, or go through your state's LE academy.

Otherwise, stick to staying at home, taking pictures of cloud progression, hail reports etc, and calling in reports of hazardous weather. Don't try to make it something it's not. If you want to go "weather chasing", then that's something completely different than being a NWS Spotter.

I get the constant e-mail alerts about severe weather in my area in the summer months. Three years of being a spotter, I think I MIGHT have called the local NWS four times when needed, ranging from hail reports to flooding or a downed tree, and the first question asked from the other side was to the effect of: "have you contacted local law enforcement?, or is the situation impeding life / property"

Nothing in that required a colorful flashing light on any of my vehicles.

 

[krokus]

Also, Doppler radar and satellite imagery. Skywarn as a necessity is a thing of the past.

NWS likes confirmation of what they see on radar.

Sent via Tapatalk

 

[burner50]

If you're stopped somewhere you feel is dangerous enough to justify blinky lights, you need to move.

Simple enough.

 

[dave6890]

Flashing Lights answers

This thread is kind of old and stale but let me add some info anyway.
-Amber lights are classified as flashing lights and may require a permit depending on your state laws. For example, in Connecticut where I live, you can only have flashing lights on your vehicle if you get a permit from the state DMV or DESPP. Blue lights are used by volunteer FD, red/blue are used by police. Amber lights and clear (white) lights are for plow trucks and fleet vehicles.

-In CT you will see most if not all private plow trucks with amber light bars or tear drops on the roof. Although to be legal you need a permit, I've never seen any cop issue a citation to a plow driver for their lighting. I've talked with many volunteer fire fighters about it because my business does disaster response and I frequently assist LE with MVAs, traffic and stuck motorists during winter storms. As long as you aren't being a d*ck and trying to pull people over, and as long as you obey all traffic signs and lights; cops likely wont bother you.

-Any organization, business or private individual can apply for a flashing light permit but again, it all depends on the state. To be simple, you need a purpose to get a permit. You can't just say "cuz I want kool lightz to show offz" and expect to get a permit. if you own a business or company that has a legitimate need for flashing lights; then you should have no problems obtaining said permit.

-Some private organizations and businesses that have flashing lights and/or legitimate uses for them:
The American Red Cross vehicles have Hide Away strobe lights on most of their vehicles. Security company vehicles have amber lights.
Construction, landscaping, telecom vehicles (cable repair truck), tow trucks, plow trucks operators, are just some of the private occupations that have a legitimate use for flashing lights.

I do not see a real reason for a hobbyist storm chaser to have flashing lights. If anything, it's a waste of money. It would be better to get a Hi-Viz vest or raincoat to wear when outside your vehicle and add some reflective decals to the bumper of your car. Maybe a "Vehicle makes frequent stops" and "Storm Chaser" decals would be worth adding as well.

 

[KB7MIB]

You can use either chevron tape or alternating red/white (silver) reflective tape on the rear bumper/tailgate/liftgate/doors of your car/truck/SUV/van.

Reflective Striping Tape for Work and Utility Vehicles | Reflective Tape Pictures & Specifications

Red and White (Silver) Alternating Retro Reflective Tape – Conspicuity | Reflective Tape Pictures & Specifications

John
Peoria, AZ

edit: Arizona DPS uses an alternating blue and white chevron pattern on the rear of their vehicles.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...4A6161D2&first=179&count=1&FORM=IDFRIR&PC=VZW

 

[N0VGL]

You know, it's kind of a shame this thread was titled the way it was with reference to "storm chasing" as being a viable option for a storm spotter/skywarn trained person. "Storm Chasers" are either insane thrill seekers who would get their kicks from any near death experience; they just seem to prefer severe weather to get their kicks, or they are reputable atmospheric researchers who are gathering data that they will use to better understand severe weather phenomena and use it to keep the public (us) safer. I find that instead of running out to my car and riding to the sound of thunder to save the world from severe weather thereby becomming a national hero, a spot on the couch next to my wife and dog in the basement makes much more sense when severe weather threatens.

 

[Klentathu]

Ground Truth Verification a Necessity in the Mountains

Also, Doppler radar and satellite imagery. Skywarn as a necessity is a thing of the past.

Good Afternoon, I am KD4UYR, Net Manager for the Southwest Carolina SKYWARN Net. For those unfamiliar, I am located near Murphy in the westernmost county of North Carolina, Cherokee County, on the Georgia and Tenniessee State Lines. We answer to WSFO Morristown, Tennessee and we are covered by four WSR-88D RADAR sites at Morristown, TN (MRX), Hytop, AL (HUN), Greer, SC (GSP), and Peachtree City, GA (FFC). The nearest RADAR at 0.5 base reflectivity cannot see below 8,200 feet. I am on Payne's Mountain at 2251 feet, while the official elevation of the valley is 1599 feet at the airport (KRHP). The highest mountain in my county is 4900 feet, and the highest mountain blocking the MRX RADAR is Clingman's Dome (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) at about 5800 feet. Our television comes via satellite from Chattanooga, TN, we have one AM radio station (WKRK 1320) which is our EAS station, one weekly newspaper, and one official weather reporting station at the airport. The county is over 900 square miles.

We can have hail from a rain cloud and no lightening or high winds. We get snow that doesn't appear on RADAR at all. Storms moving in from the SW tend to be more intense than those that have to travel over the mountains from the NE or N. We do get tornadoes (March 2, 2012 EF-3), but our biggest concern is high winds, hail, and flash flooding. In the winter, we get winds in mountain waves that can exceed hurricane force and cannot be seen by RADAR.

Nobody here chases storms. The only straight road is the taxiway at the airport. There are no escape routes, and the tops of our mountains would be in the cloud base of most supercells, especially the wall cloud.

Only 30 percent of the county has 3G or 4G wireless access, about 65 percent has wireless phone access, and about 60 percent of homes have wired internet access. We are completely surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest and property held in trust by the US Government for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indian Nation. There are no cell towers on these properties except where the Forest Service has its existing radio equipment.

Our WCM, Anthony Cavallucci K7TNC, has a fully operational ham station at the WSFO Morristown which is staffed by local volunteers for every Severe Thunderstorm, Tornado, or Blizzard Watch. They monitor designated repeaters in 7 districts with regional SKYWARN nets in their 39 county warning area.

About one-half of our spotters are ham operators, but we also have many public service workers and interested volunteers trained. The NWS absolutely relies on our reports, and will call us at home if needed for ground truth verification.

I apologize for the wordiness of my reply, but clearly the author of the quote is referring solely to metro areas despite the fact that only about 1/3 of the population of the US lives in large cities.

There are many places where the NWS absolutely needs ground verification and notification for both warning issuance and verification. Warning verification improves the ability of the NWS to issue accurate warnings in the future.

PS...RADAR is not a word, it is an acronym for Radio Amplitude Detection And Ranging.

PPS...I am a retired deputy sheriff....don't put emergency lights on your pesonal vehicle unless you are specifically authorized by state or local statute. The use of illegal lights while driviing on a public highway or roadway is a moving violation, not an equipment violation in most states.