National Weather Service SKYWARN volunteers spot storms in Knox County. Want to join?

Between 1870 and Aug. 7 of this year, there have been 338 tornadoes observed across the 40 counties monitored by the National Weather Service office in Morristown.

Fifty-five of those tornadoes touched down on a single day: April 27, 2011.

During severe events like that violent spring tornado outbreak, the Morristown office relies on its powerful radar to warn the public. But its other greatest tool for keeping the public safe is a bevy of amateur radio operators called SKYWARN, the National Weather Service's eyes on the ground.

"Our greatest technology that we use here is our radar, and I would say the SKYWARN spotter network is a pretty close second," said Anthony Cavallucci, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service. "I think a lot of people just automatically assume we know what's happening on the ground, and we really don't until somebody reports it. Those reports are really quite helpful."

Morristown's 4,081 trained spotters from ages 12 to over 80 years old report what they see to the office, and there is always a need for more volunteers, Cavallucci told Knox News. There are 390 spotters living in Knox County.

The office hosts training sessions both in-person and online throughout the year, and you don't have to know how to operate a radio to join. SKYWARN also uses an app and phone calls to get reports. Those who complete a training class get their own spotter ID and certification, which last four years.

Here's why the SKYWARN program exists and how you could join.

SKYWARN provides 'precious gift of time' during severe weather

The National Weather Service launched SKYWARN in the 1970s and the nationwide program now has between 350,000 and 400,000 volunteers.

Because radar systems have blind spots, volunteers on the ground can provide information in real time that radar sometimes misses, giving people "the precious gift of time--minutes that can help save lives," said the National Weather Service on its SKYWARN web page.

The SKYWARN network is activated by the National Weather Service or by local emergency management authorities when a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado watch is issued.

That doesn't mean its spotters are storm chasers. In fact, the spotters are specifically trained on how to stay safe during severe weather events and that often means staying far away from tornadoes.

The Morristown office hosts free spotter training classes in counties across its warning area every year. The next will be Dec. 7 at the McMinn County Courthouse in Athens, Tennessee.

Because severe weather clusters in the spring in East Tennessee, so too do spotter training classes. The last one held in Knox County was in March at the Public Works Service Center on Morris Avenue.

In addition to in-person classes, the National Weather Service offers a virtual training which can be taken any time and includes an exam.

SKYWARN educates public on how to accurately spot severe weather

Community service is a key role of the SKYWARN program, but it also allows meteorologists to educate thousands of people on severe weather, something most people are at least casually interested in.

Russ Gobble has been part of the SKYWARN program since he retired as director of information and technology at Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati in 2012. Now, he is coordinator for the whole program across the 40 counties in the Morristown warning area.

When a severe thunderstorm or tornado is heading to the area, Gobble goes to the Morristown office and coordinates all reports from spotters, handing them over to meteorologists.

SKYWARN relies on amateur radio operators, also known as ham radio operators. Though the hobby has become less common, it's a failsafe in emergencies when the internet may go down.

"I don't think a lot of people realize exactly what we do, because in true emergencies, sometimes ham radio is all you have," Gobble said.

Still, the program is increasingly using an app, phone calls and an online report form to get information from its spotters. Gobble has encouraged his eight grandchildren to learn more about severe weather spotting, a tool for keeping themselves and their community safe.

In rare events like the Aug. 7 tornado in Knox County, where a short-lived but powerful funnel evaded warning systems but did not cause any fatalities, spotters can play an especially important role. The National Weather Service is exploring ways to prevent a similar event in the future.

"We have been working with the forecasters on numerous weather event simulators to be able to pick out those tornadic structures in those lines of thunderstorms, so being able to differentiate where a tornado might develop," Cavallucci said.

National Weather Service will host SKYWARN Recognition Day

To show how important SKYWARN spotters are to its mission, the National Weather Service hosts an annual recognition day on the first Friday and Saturday of December.

From 7 p.m. on Dec. 1 through 7 p.m. on Dec. 2, the Morristown office will be open to spotters to connect and recognize their work from the past year. They can check in and see themselves on a live map online. Last year, over 4,500 spotters participated.

Gobble said the day is a "perfect" opportunity for those who want to meet spotters and learn more about how to join.

Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: National Weather Service SKYWARN looks for storm spotter volunteers