SKYWARN Recognition Day is December 7, 2024. The annual event is celebrating its 25th anniversary. SRD was established in 1999 by the National Weather Service and ARRL® to commemorate the contributions of SKYWARN volunteers. Using amateur radio and other means of communication, SKYWARN spotters provide real time ground truth to NWS offices. The ham-volunteers can also provide vital communications between NWS and local emergency management officials when other means go down.

In a video posted to the SRD web page, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham, WX4KEG, said the information ham radio operators and other SKYWARN volunteers provide is critical. “I, along with the entire National Weather Service, want to acknowledge and thank you for your invaluable service to the communities we serve.”

There will be a SRD special event from 0000 – 2359 UTC on the day. The objective is for all amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as many Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and National Weather Service Stations as possible on the 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands.

ARRL will be on the air during the event from the ARRL Radio Laboratory station, W1HQ, using the call sign WX1AW. ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager Sierra Harrop, W5DX, said SRD is a great opportunity to welcome non-ham SKYWARN volunteers to explore amateur radio. “Storm spotting was my original draw into ham radio. I watched a large tornado tear up my community on May 3, 1999, and was listening via my mom’s 2-meter mobile radio to spotter reports being relayed to the NWS Norman, Oklahoma, office. I knew I wanted to be a part of that and within months I was licensed. Amateur radio was my path into that community service and has been the hobby of a lifetime ever since,” she said.