When skies turn dark over the southwest suburbs, Jim Riley doesn’t rely on radar alone — he reaches for his radio.
“As a member of an emergency management agency, I have to recertify my weather spotting every two years,” said Riley, of Homer Glen and vice president of the Hamfesters Radio Club. “This training fulfills that requirement.”
Riley was one of dozens who attended the Hamfesters’ annual Severe Weather Spotter Training on April 4 at SouthBridge Community Church in Orland Park.
Led by longtime club members and certified instructors Dave Bukowski (N9KPD) and Al Bukowski (N9ZD), the session prepares attendees to become officially recognized weather spotters — a vital role in community safety when severe storms strike.
The training, sanctioned by the National Weather Service, teaches participants how to recognize signs of dangerous weather and safely report real-time observations that radar can’t always confirm.
“Radar tells only part of the story,” Riley said. “The weather service needs ground truth from trained spotters. It takes someone who knows what they’re looking for to report things like wall clouds, funnel clouds, and tornadoes — things you can only see from the ground.”
Once trained, storm spotters use ham radio, which is officially known as the Amateur Radio Service, to relay observations during severe weather. If a spotter sees rotation, hail, or damaging winds, they report it to a designated “net control” operator, who then passes the information to the National Weather Service.
“After the storm, we also report what kind of damage we’re seeing,” Riley said. “That helps give the weather service a better idea of wind speed, direction and just how intense the storm really was.”
Hamfesters is one of many local clubs that partner with the weather service and emergency management agencies to provide training.
While the club hosts in-person sessions annually, there are also virtual opportunities. The next online spotter class is scheduled soon; more information is available at weather.gov/lot/spotter_talk.
Riley, who has been active with Hamfesters since 1990, said storm spotting is about public service.
“Being a spotter isn’t just about radios or reports,” he said. “It’s about helping protect your neighbors. We take that seriously.”
For more on the Hamfesters Radio Club and future training events, visit www.hamfesters.org.