Rotary Club of Nixa

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Nixa for inviting me out to speak today on storm spotting. It was a pleasure meeting the fine folks in this organization. We touched on SkyWarn, the logistics of spotting, safety, and talked about some actual tornadic events in the area.

Here is a link to the video representing the danger of being in a vehicle in a tornado in case it was hard to see on the screen.

Here is a link to the video we didn't have time to watch from January 7th, 2008. It shows the funnel cloud over James River and Kansas Expressway with audio from the SkyWarn network. In it you can hear:

• Me give specific information as to the location of the funnel
• Another SkyWarn spotter confirming what I was seeing
  
• SkyWarn net control confirming and relaying the information to the National Weather Service
• Warning information communicated to the spotters
  

Don't forget to look into a NOAA All Hazards Radio if you don't already have one. Here is a post regarding what to look for, etc. The events we talked about (and more) are documented on this site. You can visit the "Blog Archives" on the right side menu at the bottom, with information back to 2003.

Also, as a group you should kick around the idea of getting CERT training. I think it would be something your group would enjoy doing together, and provide a great base of knowledge that can benefit your family and neighbors. If it's something you want to look into, please email me and I will make sure you have all of the information you need.

Again, thank you for having me, and please don't hesitate to shoot me an email with any questions you may have.