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Skywarn gathers firsthand reports of severe weather events and feeds them into local forecasts as quickly as it can.

Anytime NWS issues a severe weather warning, Skywarn goes to work setting up nets.

"Nets are a gathering of radio amateurs," Jeanfaivre said. "We gather and activate the net and use repeaters ... A setup that takes a little signal and broadcasts it over a wider area which NWS can pick up. Because of the information that we're giving them, NWS can issue a watch or a warning. That's what the public sees on TV or hears over the radio."

During recent thunderstorms, such as one that produced a funnel cloud in Southington and a tornado warning in New Haven County, Jeanfaivre and his team of spotters were at work, verifying the NWS radar images.

Thanks to the evolution of the Internet, NWS can get Skywarn reports in under a minute.

"In 1994 we weren't tied into the Internet," Jeanfaivre remembered. "With the betterment of the new technology, they can get our reports and it supplements what they see. NWS can link into our system and get the reports as they come in. It's instantaneous."

The work is "a joy" for Jeanfaivre.

"It's combining my weather interests with my skills as a communicator," Jeanfaivre said. "It's enjoyable ... We're really not weather forecasters, we're communicators, and it's my job to get the information provided by the spotters to the NWS."

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TO All who would like to be

CT SKYWARN Spotters

FROM Steve Williams K1SJW

CT DEC SKYWARN

SUBJECT: Basic Spotter Training

Class in Waterford CT on July 12th

A basic spotter training class has been scheduled for the Red Cross in Waterford on July 12th at 6:30 PM.

I encourage all spotters who need to recertify, and all hams who have not yet taken a basic course to attend this session.

Please contact Scott Moore W1SSN at vsmoore2@comcast.net by the end of June if you plan to attend.

--K1SJW