St. Louis County R.A.C.E.S. and SKYWARN

"Taking the County by storm."

Links and Program News

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Cooling Centers in The St. Louis Metro Area

Link to Flood Locations Throughout Missouri and Illinois

Alternate St. Louis County SKYWARN site

St. Louis and Suburban Radio Club

NASA's New ASTER Imagery & More (Very Neat!)

NASA's Hurricane/Tropical Cyclone Page

National Weather Service Radar, St. Louis

NWS St. Louis, Significant Events

An excellent river, stream and creek flooding information

  page with a graphic, clickable interface

Unisys Weather for KSTL St. Louis

R.A.C.E.S. Homepage

Storm Prediction Center

Cool Images from The Storm Prediction Center 

National Severe Storms Laboratory

NOAA Watch (Excellent Site)

Online Tornado FAQ

Latest Tornado Trends 

Tornado Safety Guide (another great link from Steve Krebel KC9ELZ - thanks Steve!)

Weather Underground

Winter Weather Forecasts

Excessive Rainfall Forecasts

St. Louis National Weather Service Office

ESpotter Severe Weather Reporting

The Disaster Center

F.E.M.A. Independent Study (NIMS classes)

Ameren-UE Electric Outage Map

Missouri Forecasts & Hourly Data

Illinois Forecasts & Hourly Data

National Weather Service Data Products

UNISYS Weather

St. Louis County EOC Weather

NWS National and State Data

National Climatic Data Center

NWS “EMWIN” Site

National SKYWARN Website

State and Local Emergency Management Agencies

SKYWARN Central

USGS Emergency Operations (many thanks to Steve Krebel KC9ELZ for this GREAT link!)

USGS Earthquake Data Center

National Information Earthquake Center

Frequently Asked Questions About El Niño and La Niña

Links are provided to these sites because they may contain related information of interest to you or useful research material.  These links do not constitute an endorsement by St. Louis County R.A.C.E.S. / SKYWARN of any information, products, or services on these sites.

Program News

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MONTHLY NETS!

 

CHECK-IN to the Monthly

RACES & SKYWARN NETS!

 

VHF NET

FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH, 7PM

146.940 Repeater!

The RACES/SKYWARN activation decode tones are tested at the commencement of the net

 

~*~*  DON'T MISS THE HF NET  *~*~

FIRST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH

6:30PM LOCAL TIME

3993.5 Khz LSB

or

ALTERNATELY ON 7293.5 Khz LSB

 

This is a SKYWARN Net; RACES participants are welcome. Guests are welcome; listen to the latest in training information and RACES / SKYWARN News; check your radios – be prepared for severe weather and RACES activations!

 

Severe weather observation training "taking the region by storm"!

For information on these programs, call 314-308-8567

 

or write to us at: shelleysh1@att.net,

or check for details here, on our internet site.

 

More than just a spotter class - information that could save your life!

St. Louis County Police R.A.C.E.S./SKYWARN, Since 1955

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SKYWARN VOLUNTEER LEAD OPERATORS

In 2009, the SKYWARN volunteer Lead Operators spent over 280 hours

in SKYWARN / RACES, exercises, and public relations activites. 

Their activities included:

10 Severe Thunderstorm Watches,
3 Tornado Watches,
15 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and no Tornado Warnings.
There were 34 days of heightened severe weather awareness of

at least a “slight risk” of severe weather in the daily convective outlook.
(2009 was a very quiet year!)

Severe weather can strike throughout the fall and even in the winter!

 

Please consider the actions you would take in an actual tornado warning, if at home, at work, at school, or in your car.  Practice those actions as appropriate.  Find that “safe spot” and have a battery powered radio and flashlight there.

 

All schools should have a tone-alert weather radio! DO NOT rely on telephone notification, cellular phones, opening windows to hear sirens, or commercial radio/television for notification of severe weather.

 

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A TONE-ALERT WEATHER RADIO!

 

Safe areas include basements (under sturdy furniture), interior hallways, bathrooms, closets, and stay away from exterior walls that face the west and south.  Abandon vehicles and mobile homes for more substantial shelter.  Most fatalities occur in vehicles and mobile homes.  Monitor St. Louis County severe weather nets on 146.940 Mhz. (backup is 147.360 Mhz.) Cellular phones should not be relied-upon for reliable communications in a severe weather situation. 

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Developing a R.A.C.E.S. Program

 

Inquiries have been received about the absence of locally managed Radio Amateur Civil Emergency (R.A.C.E.S.) amateur radio programs across the region and the state.  Among the numerous advantages to such programs are local control and management, appointment of program supervisors, and an amateur radio assistance program that can be tailored to local needs and requirements.  Typically local public safety and emergency management agencies manage such programs, set policies, determine training requirements, and integrate them into local emergency management plans.

 

If you are interested in creating such a program, we may be able to assist.  Please contact us for inquiries, additional information, and guidance.  The St. Louis County R.A.C.E.S. program has been serving St. Louis County since 1955.

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The St. Louis County RACES/SKYWARN

Weather Reference Compact Disc!

CONTINUES in 2010!

 

With your mailing of the training certificate and weather observer reference card, you will also receive, at absolutely no charge, the Weather Reference compact disc “CD”.

 

The Weather Reference “CD” is a compilation of weather brochures, manuals and other items that are either no longer available in print, or too expensive to print.  A partial list of items on the CD includes:

          The Basic SKYWARN Manual

          The Advanced SKYWARN Manual

          Red Cross Tornadoes, Thunderstorms, & Lightning brochure

          FEMA N.I.M.S. classes 100 and 700

“Are You Ready”

Cloud Identification Chart

Brochures on Winter Storms, Heatwaves, Floods, 

Coaches Guide to Lightning Safety, and much more!

 

The contents of the “CD” may be viewed and/or printed on most any computer, or at a local library computer.  One per family will be mailed with your certificate and observer reference card.  This is another quality training aid provided only by the St. Louis County RACES & SKYWARN Programs to class participants!

 

One more great reason to attend a St. Louis County SKYWARN class!

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                      St. Louis County Police R.A.C.E.S / SKYWARN

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Reporting Criteria

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