LINCOLN COUNTY – As severe weather season approaches, Lincoln County Emergency Management is sounding an alarm that has nothing to do with thunder or lightning.
The county, it turns out, has no organized network of trained storm spotters – and officials want to change that before storms start rolling in.
Tyler Verhasselt, Director of Emergency Management for Lincoln County, said the need is great.
“Trained storm spotters are a critical part of severe weather preparedness in Lincoln County because they provide the ground-truth information needed to strengthen local situational awareness when seconds matter,” Verhasselt said.
Gap in radar coverage in Lincoln County
According to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information, Lincoln County falls within a zone of limited low-level NEXRAD radar coverage.
NEXRAD is the national network of radar systems used by the National Weather Service, and at lower altitudes, gaps in that coverage can leave meteorologists with an incomplete picture of what is happening on the ground.
“In areas with limited low-level radar coverage, trained storm spotters provide critical ground-truth information that helps us better assess severe weather conditions as they develop across the county,” Verhasselt said.
In plain terms, radar does not always see what is happening close to the ground here. A trained person standing in a field or looking out a window can.
Spotter reports can include observations of hail, damaging winds, heavy rainfall, snowfall totals, funnel clouds and other significant weather conditions. That information goes directly to meteorologists and emergency management personnel in real time, helping both groups make faster and better-informed decisions while a storm is actively developing.
Without a trained spotter network in place, that layer of ground-level information is largely missing in Lincoln County.
Verhasselt said the solution starts with residents.
“We have a real opportunity in Lincoln County to build a stronger network of trained weather observers,” he said. “That starts with getting more people connected to SKYWARN before severe weather season is upon us.”
He said emergency preparedness has never been something government agencies can carry alone.
“Preparedness is not just government plans and programs,” Verhasselt said. “It is also having trained people in our communities who know what to look for, how to report it safely and how to contribute to the emergency warning system. A whole-community approach means public safety does not rest solely on government agencies. It means residents, schools, businesses and local partners all have a role in helping strengthen resilience across Lincoln County.”
Training to become a storm spotter is free
The opportunity to become a trained spotter is available right now, and the barrier to entry is low.
The National Weather Service in Green Bay has scheduled free virtual SKYWARN Spotter training sessions next week. Each session runs about 80 to 90 minutes and is open to anyone of any age, including students and workplace groups.
The talks are designed to cover two main areas: severe weather safety and the basics of safe storm spotting. That means participants will learn not just how to identify what they are seeing in the sky, but how to report it properly and how to do so without putting themselves at risk.
The training is built around practical knowledge – understanding what hail, damaging winds, funnel clouds and other significant weather events look like up close, and knowing how to get that information to the people who need it most.
Sessions are scheduled for Monday, April 13, at noon; Thursday, April 16, at noon; and Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m.
The variety of dates and times is intentional, to give working adults, students and community organizations multiple options to participate.
Additional Great Lakes Regional Spotter Talks are also available, running through Thursday, May 14, offering additional chances to get trained before peak storm season arrives.
Registration links and complete information can be found at www.weather.gov/greenbay/skywarn.
Community rain, hail and snow reporters also needed
Storm spotting is not the only way residents can contribute to weather awareness in Lincoln County.
The Wisconsin State Climatology Office is also looking for volunteer precipitation observers across the state, including in many rural communities, to help fill gaps where official weather stations are not located.
Volunteers measure and report rain, hail, snowfall and snowpack depth, and those observations are used to evaluate long-term trends, monitor drought conditions, track intense rainfall events and provide the National Weather Service with additional ground-level data. The process takes about five minutes per day, and while daily observations are encouraged, occasional reporting is also welcome.
Volunteers sign up through the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, known as CoCoRaHS. The program requires a standardized rain gauge, which costs approximately $45.00. Information and sign-up links are available at www.cocorahs.org.
Questions about volunteering for this program can be directed to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office at stclim@aos.wisc.edu or by calling 608-263-2374.
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