Typically, the NWS calls the local EM to activate area spotters when significant or widespread severe weather is expected. Once activated,  spotter groups relay their reports through the EM or his designee to the NWS. This implies that spotters will have rapid two-way field communications (e.g. law enforcement, highway department workers, volunteer or professional fire fighters and local amateur radio operators working with amateur radio emergency services (ARES) groups).  We also welcome individuals that wish to operate as independent SKYWARN participants and who can report from their home and/or while in the field.

Each year, the NWS and American Radio Relay League (ARRL) organize a special SKYWARN Recognition Day.  It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the NWS. During the full day event,  SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the world.  For more information, check out SKYWARN Recognition Day 2006

• National SKYWARN Page

• SKYWARN Recognition Day

• Submit Storm Report

• Severe Weather Awareness

• Flash Flood & Lightning Awareness

• Winter Weather Awareness

• NWS ABQ Photo Album

NWS Albuquerque works closely with county emergency managers and officials across the northern two-thirds of New Mexico to organize and schedule spotter training classes each year.

The critical common element will be a capability to maintain communications with our office.  To that end, spotters are encouraged to obtain an amateur radio license in order to participate in  ARES SKYWARN groups to ensure rapid and direct communication with our office using a well organized amateur radio repeater system. SKYWARN participants independent of more formal groups would call NWS Albuquerque with field reports whenever hazardous weather is observed.  If you agree to be added to our spotter list, then at times the forecaster might initiate a first call to you or else would be calling you back once they are aware that you are available and reporting from a field location.

For additional information on training or local ARES coordinators that could assist you, please contact  Keith Hayes, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Keith.Hayes@noaa.gov or call our office at (505) 243-0702.

• 2006 Spotter Training Schedule
• ABQ Spotter Guide (MS Word)
• Basic Spotters' Field Guide
• Advanced Spotters' Field Guide
• An Illustrated Severe Weather Spotter Guide (NWS Norman, OK)
• Glossary of weather terms for spotters (Mike Branick, NWS Norman, OK)
• Brochure on thunderstorms, tornadoes and lightning

Due to the rural nature of New Mexico, our current network (click on image to left) lacks the spatial resolution necessary to cover the state. Observers are clustered around cities and major highways, with many areas void of observers.  This network of storm spotters is independent of the Cooperative Observer Program. Storm spotters report tornadoes, funnel clouds, hail, winds 50 mph or greater, flooding, snowfall, ice accumulation, and any hazardous weather causing injury, death or damage.  Spotter can call a toll free number 1-888-386-7637 or use a storm report form on our webpage. 

If you or anyone you know are interested in volunteering to be a storm spotter please contact our office at 505-243-0702 or send us an email sr-abq.webmaster@noaa.gov 

• Upper Rio FM Society
• Mega LINK Repeater System

The NWS Albuquerque office, located on the west side of the Albuquerque Sunport airport, has both 2M and 70CM amateur radio. Vanity call WX5ABQ (WX weather, region 5, and ABQ international identifier for Albuquerque airport and NWS office) is normally used whenever the station is on the air.

For SKYWARN, we primarily use the MegaLink repeater system which provides coverage into most of the NWS ABQ office county warning area or the northern two-thirds of New Mexico. We may also use several of the Upper Rio FM Society repeaters (146.940 or 146.900) as well as other local repeaters from near Santa Fe (147.200 or 147.300), Los Alamos (145.190), Bernalillo-Rio Rancho (147.100), Belen (146.700) and Socorro (146.680) whenever severe weather threatens along the Rio Grande Valley and over west central New Mexico. 

Although we do have a number of staff licensed to operate the WX5ABQ amateur station, there are times when these licensed forecasters are not on duty or else other duties prevent us from monitoring the amateur radio. A guest operator may then be called out to assist. If you can't raise us direct on the radio, you may check station status or request station activation with a phone call to the toll-free SKYWARN number 1 888 386 7637 or via the Upper Rio FM auto-patch using codes 365 or 9365 (after hours emergency phone patch).

Spotters can contribute snow and road condition reports as well as heavy rain and severe thunderstorm reports. We encourage both home location reporting and reports from spotters that may be traveling across the state.

Have you designated a central contract point within a amateur spotter group? It's usually best to have one to two folks designated as primary group contact points. This helps us request spotter activation and then manage reports during an event. It's left up to the group to decide whether to communicate as a group on a local repeater or simplex and then have someone relay reports to us via MegaLINK, other repeater or by phone. However, please let us know which frequency the group uses so we can monitor if possible.