Radio Traffic from Spotters on the Mayflower / Vilonia Tornado – April 27th, 2014

** TORNADO RELIEF & SUPPORT: CLICK HERE! **

This is the amateur radio traffic from the other night when we were out in the storm at Mayflower (see video). Obviously this is covering the storm in it’s entirety. Probably not something that most of you would enjoy listening to but I’m posting here for the sake of posterity. I’ll probably go ahead and get my certification and finish my home base setup once things settle down a bit since I won’t be out chasing anymore. So thankful for the operators and spotters that are doing what they do, without that community, things could have been a lot different many times in the past when severe weather has blown through the area.

Source: Skywarn Facebook / Mike Moss

Amateur Radio Storm Spotters Track Mayflower Tornado. Sunday night was a highly-intense event and one where we are proud to illustrate the important role that Amateur Radio plays in saving lives and property. The recording below is of the Arkansas SKYWARN net being conducted from the operations center at the National Weather Service Little Rock Forecast Office. The reports you hear coming in from the field are from trained Amateur Radio storm spotters (not chasers) who collectively had the most consistent pair of eyes on the tornado as it tracked from west Pulaski County, through Mayflower, through Vilonia, and on into White County. Although this recording is only 22 minutes long, it contains the most intense moments of the net. Ground truth coming into the NWS was so accurate, that TV stations were relying on these Amateur Radio reports to bring viewers the information. Hear the information as it arrives at the NWS – Arkansas SKYWARN streams each of its nets through the CAREN Club live audio stream on Broadcastify. You can listen to us on your smartphone or device and be several steps ahead of any TV “storm team.”