A vital part of operations during severe weather is contact with weather spotters in the field. The National Weather Service office in Norman uses amateur radio as one method of communicating with spotter and emergency management organizations.

The NWS, in cooperation with local emergency management and amateur radio groups, has developed a network of frequencies to pass radar information to the spotter groups, and to receive real-time reports of severe weather from the spotters.

These frequencies serve as a "liaison net" during severe weather. That is that the individual storm spotters continue to use their local frequencies and report weather to their local organization. When an organization receives a report of a tornado, funnel cloud or other severe weather (hail that is 0.75 inches in diameter or larger, or winds greater than 57 mph), a liaison from the spotter organization relays the report to the National Weather Service. Amateur radio operators at the NWS Office will also give radar information to the liaisons, who in turn pass the information on to their local spotter network.

Spotters and citizens are encouraged to monitor these frequencies, but to limit the traffic on this network, please report severe weather to your local spotter groups instead of on these frequencies.

A number of meteorologists at the NWS Norman office are amateur radio operators and communicate with the spotters on these liaison nets. Their names and call signs are listed in the table below:

Are you interested in becoming a weather spotter? Here is some information about how to get 

started in tornado and thunderstorm spotting.

The National Weather Service Norman office will also be conducting spotter training talks across the Oklahoma and North Texas through April.