🚀 go-pugleaf

Greetings to the Skywarn group!

Friday evening was our second severe weather day in a row. Tornado Watches
were posted both Thurs. and Fri. The storms south of the WI/IL border were
truly impressive. Skywarn spotters were mobilized both days with Thursday
showing little action as the storms diminished just as they entered WI at
nightfall. Friday appeared to be the same when just at nightfall storms
exceeding severe criteria crossed the border north into Rock and Greene
counties. Fortunately police and ham operators were "on scene" and accurately
and quickly relayed vital info to NWSFO Sullivan. Warnings ultimately were
issued to Rock, Greene, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties in a timely
manner.

Lessons learned,

The ability of the net controller at the 146.91 M.R.C. repeater to use his
personal real time doppler downlinks (via satellite) allowed spotters to be
well informed of the storm's movement and location at all times. The spotters
were in the right place at the right time to allow the NWS to issue warnings
at the right time.

The 146.91 repeater allowed wide area coverage, in one case all the way from
Beloit to Milwaukee. This information was then forwarded to the NWS as
allowed them to issue relevant warnings.

Run big power and big antennas on your mobile units. Lightning and malicious
interference were a problem Friday. QRP has no place in public service
communications.

Excellent liason between the A.R.E.S and M.R.C. repeaters. All information was
shared. Everyone knew what everyone was doing.

Skywarn personel were ready and persistent. By all appearences the storm
Friday should have diminished when it crossed the WI border as evening fell.
It didn't and nobody was caught off guard. Good training allows one to be
ready and able to deal with rapidly changing events.

This writer was stationed in central Waukesha County until about 9:00 CDT. The
onset of darkness, no activity and an overheating '89 Taures Wagon forced me
to retire to homebase. I did configure my other car with mobile radios,
antenna's etc. to engage the storm if it persisted to Waukesha and Milwaukee
counties. Lesson, do that spring automotive preventive maintenence! A bad car
in a big storm is at best inconveinient and at worst a hazard to any mobile
spotter.

To finish I would extend an "atta boy" to everyone involved and prayers to
those especially south of the border who suffered so much damage Friday night.

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73 Bernie Kopp KB9KEF
Milwaukee Area Skywarn Association/Milwaukee A.R.E.S.
E-Mail bkopp@omnifest.uwm.edu
2-meter FM Voice 146.910- 127.3 PL Milwaukee Repeater Club (Wx Net)
---------------- 146.670- 127.3 PL Milw./Waukesha A.R.E.S. (Wx Net)

THE MASA HOME PAGE! http://www.execpc.com/~svoros

"... It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye
hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky, but can ye not discern the
signs of the times?"   Matthew 16:.2.3 KJV
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