The National Weather Service in Wilmington NC plans on hosting an Advanced Skywarn Training session via Webinar from 7 pm to 830 PM EDT on Thursday April 10th. A prerequisite to the course is Basic Skywarn Training. If people have not had the Basic Skywarn Training then they can take it at:

https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23

Here's the registration information that will be required for the Advanced Skywarn Training class:

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/705365434

Title: Advanced Skywarn Training
Date: Thursday, April 10, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Mac®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.6 or newer

Please direct any questions to Steven Pfaff, Warning Coordination Meteorologist NWS Wilmington NC at:     Steven.Pfaff@noaa.gov

Good afternoon,

We are requesting all Hams in the area to help with the ucpcoming winter weather event. Please report accumulations of any sleet/snow/freezing rain (ice) as well as any impacts and precip transitions. The flow of information was fantastic during the event two weeks ago and the data provided valuable information.

Thanks,

-Steve

 Winter Storm to impact the Carolinas...

A Basic Skywarn and Weather Safety Training class will be held at the Calabash Town Hall (882 Persimmon Rd, Calabash, NC) on Friday Nov 22nd at 10 AM EST. The training is 1.5 hours. Please help me spread the information about the training. Thanks -Steve

 Good afternoon!

I hope to see some of you at the BeachFest in Conway this Saturday. I plan on bringing the model tornado with me, along with some handouts. I also have a limited number of NWS patches and if there are any HAM-boaters I have a few NOAA Marine Observer pins to give away.

Thanks,

-Steve 

Hello!

Just a quick note about TS Karen.... if she tracks farther west then the impacts from rainfall and the potential for tornadoes will be less. If the track is anywhere from Charlotte to the coast then rainfall would be much higher. In addition, a track farther east would also likely increase the potential for tornadoes. Definitely worth keeping an eye on through early next week.

Lastly, Marion County Emergency Management and the NWS will host Skywarn training at Marion Fire Station #2 (1942 Senator Gasque Rd. Marion, SC) on Tuesday Oct 29th from 10-1130 am EDT. Please note: this training may need to be rescheduled if the governement shutdown is not resolved by the 29th.

Thanks,

-Steve

Although portions of SE NC and NE SC have seen a lot of rainfall this year the number of severe weather events have lagged behind what we issued in previous years. For instance, so far in 2013 we have only issued 55 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings while in 2012 there were a total of 162 warnings issued. In 2013 we have issued 6 Tornado Warnings, while in 2012 we issued 11. I know that the year is not over, but we are coming off of our severe weather peak.

The amount of rainfall we've received over the past couple months is concerning considering the fact we are headed into the peak of hurricane season. The last thing we need are saturated grounds and elevated river levels (pre-conditions) in place before a tropical cyclone!

-Steve

Hello!

The NWS and American Red Cross are sponsoring Basic SKYWARN training at the Southeastern Community College in Whiteville, NC on Tuesday July 30, 2013 from 10 AM until Noon. Please share this information to those folks you think would be interested in attending the training.

Thanks,

-Steve

Good afternoon,

Looks like there will be a very good chance that a squall line with damaging winds will push across the area. There is also an isolated risk for tornadoes as well as a chance for large hail. Please coordinate with the ECs/AECs if you observe or hear of severe weather.

Thanks,

-Steve

Here's an interesting link to an article about tornado myths.

http://weather.yahoo.com/5-tornado-safety-myths-debunked-180740991.html

Also, we plan on holding an Advanced Skywarn Class sometime in May or early June. We are still in the planning stages, but it will be held as a GoTo Webinar. More info to come soon.

-Steve