Band73 SkyWarn Spotters

10/05/2026

⚡ TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Dual-Pol Radar 📡

Tracking a supercell core: radar base reflectivity hits 65+ dBZ, but Differential Reflectivity (ZDR) plunges to negative numbers (-1.5 dB) right in the core.

What hydrometeor causes negative ZDR here?
1️⃣ Horizontally flattened raindrops
2️⃣ Vertically tumbling giant hail
3️⃣ Heavy wet snow
4️⃣ Light mist

Drop your answer below! 👇

10/05/2026

📅 HISTORIC STORM SPOTLIGHT 🌪️

On October 6, 2010, an unprecedented severe weather setup triggered the 2010 Arizona Tornado Outbreak, producing an astonishing 11 confirmed tornadoes across northern Arizona in a single day.

It stands as the largest single-day tornado outbreak in Arizona state history and the largest ever recorded west of the Continental Divide. Several strong tornadoes (rated EF2 and EF3) ripped through high-elevation pine forests and communities near Bellemont and Flagstaff, tossing RVs onto Interstate 40, damaging over 100 homes, and even directly passing within a half-mile of the National Weather Service forecast office.

Spotter takeaway: Significant, long-tracked tornadoes aren't confined to the Great Plains. When intense, cut-off upper-level low-pressure systems pull deep subtropical moisture over high-elevation plateau topography, localized wind shear can trigger violent tornadogenesis anywhere.

Did you know Arizona once recorded an outbreak of 11 tornadoes in a single day? Drop your thoughts below! 👇



Answer to the question: Yes! Arizona averages only about four tornadoes per year total, making an 11-tornado outbreak in 24 hours extraordinary. The combination of an unseasonably deep cold-core low over the Southwest, strong upper jet dynamics, and terrain-induced shear allowed low-topped supercells to produce tornadoes above 7,000 feet elevation.

For a detailed meteorological retrospective and damage analysis of this historic high-elevation event, take a look at The October 2010 Arizona Tornado Outbreak And Hailstorm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVBeZSQoPjg

This video provides an in-depth breakdown of the unique atmospheric setup and radar presentations that drove the rare western outbreak.

SOURCES USED: https://pastebin.com/hEXPEUw8I have a Discord Serve...

10/04/2026

⚡ TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Skew-T Sounding 📡

Checking a pre-storm sounding, you find a deep, bone-dry inverted-V profile in the lowest 3 km beneath a high cloud base, with DCAPE exceeding 1,200 J/kg.

What severe storm threat is maximized?
1️⃣ Significant tornadoes
2️⃣ Dry microbursts
3️⃣ Giant severe hail
4️⃣ Cold-air funnels

Drop your pick! 👇

10/04/2026

📅 HISTORIC STORM SPOTLIGHT 🌪️️

On October 5, 1864, the catastrophic 1864 Calcutta Cyclone tore through the low-lying Bay of Bengal coast in India, driving an overwhelming 40-foot storm surge up the Hooghly River that inundated towns, completely flattened the city of Calcutta (Kolkata), and destroyed over 150 merchant ships.

The cyclone claimed an estimated 60,000 lives immediately from surge and drowning, with another 40,000 succumbed to cholera and famine in the weeks following—making it one of the deadliest tropical cyclones in recorded world history.

Spotter takeaway: Flat, low-lying coastal terrain and funnel-shaped coastal bays drastically multiply the destructive power of tropical storm surges. This historic disaster underscored the absolute necessity of early meteorological tracking stations and barometric observation nets to give populated coastlines warning before the surge arrives.

Did you know the 1864 Calcutta storm helped prompt the British Indian government to establish India's first nationwide meteorological department and storm-warning system? Drop your thoughts below! 👇



Answer to the question: Yes! Following the horrific devastation in 1864, the government recognized that unmonitored bay waters left millions vulnerable. This catastrophe directly triggered the formal establishment of coastal telegraph reporting lines and the eventual founding of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in 1875.

10/03/2026

I am born in a thunderstorm's cold core and race out ahead of the rain. I cause barometers to jump, temperatures to plunge, and dust to fly—all without ever rotating.

What atmospheric feature am I?

10/03/2026

📅 HISTORIC STORM SPOTLIGHT 🌪️

On October 4, 1995, powerful Hurricane Opal made landfall near Pensacola Beach, Florida, as a high-end Category 3 hurricane packing sustained winds of 115 mph after reaching peak Category 4 intensity (150 mph) in the central Gulf of Mexico.

Opal pushed an extreme 15-to-20-foot storm surge across the Florida Panhandle coastline, wiping out sand dunes and waterfront structures. Moving rapidly inland at nearly 25 mph, the storm maintained destructive hurricane-force wind gusts deep across Alabama, Georgia, and the western Carolinas—causing widespread forest tree fall, cutting power to over two million residents, and spawning dozens of tornadoes.

Spotter takeaway: Accelerating tropical cyclones bring severe wind hazards deep inland. In heavily forested areas, fast-moving storms like Opal cause catastrophic tree fall and block entire road networks, making local ham radio spotters and ground observers the primary source of situational awareness.

Did you experience Hurricane Opal or track its rapid inland surge through the Southeast? Drop your memories below! 👇



Answer to the question: Yes! Hurricane Opal was one of the most destructive storms of the active 1995 season. Its catastrophic inland wind damage across Alabama and Georgia led to extensive research on how fast-moving tropical systems transport high-momentum core winds hundreds of miles from the coastline.

10/03/2026

⚡ TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Skew-T Soundings 📡

Looking at a local evening sounding, you notice a massive, looping, clockwise-curved "horseshoe" hodograph in the lowest 0–1 km layer with SRH exceeding 350 m²/s².

What storm hazard does this maximize?
1️⃣ Dry microbursts
2️⃣ Low-level mesocyclones & tornadoes
3️⃣ Elevated daytime hail
4️⃣ Linear derecho winds

Drop your pick! 👇

10/03/2026

📅 HISTORIC STORM SPOTLIGHT 🌪️

On October 3, 1979, an exceptionally rare and devastating F4 tornado tore through Windsor Locks, Connecticut, carving an 11-mile path of destruction directly across Bradley International Airport.

The violent tornado flattened homes, tossed cargo transport planes, and obliterated the New England Air Museum, destroying dozens of priceless vintage aircraft and causing over $400 million in modern inflation-adjusted damage.

This disaster remains a textbook historical case study in New England meteorology: it developed with virtually no warning in a warm, moist maritime wedge trapped beneath a cool inland pool, creating intense localized low-level wind shear that standard radar and forecasting models of the late 1970s struggled to resolve.

Spotter takeaway: Violent tornadoes can and do occur outside traditional "Tornado Alley" corridors. Localized terrain and coastal boundaries can amplify low-level shear overnight, proving why trained ground-truth spotters are crucial across every corner of the country.

Did you know one of New England's most destructive tornadoes struck an international airport in early October? Drop your thoughts below! 👇



Answer to the question: Yes! The 1979 Windsor Locks tornado remains the sixth-deadliest tornado in Connecticut history and one of the costliest single tornado strikes in the Northeast. It served as a major catalyst for the modernization of the National Weather Service's radar network (leading to the rollout of NEXRAD Doppler radar in the 1980s and 1990s) to detect sudden, localized rotational couplets before they touch down.

10/02/2026

⚡ SPOTTER TRIVIA CHALLENGE 🌩️

Which dual-pol radar product measures the difference between horizontal & vertical pulse pulse dimensions, pinpointing giant wobbling hail vs. spherical rain?

1️⃣ CC (Correlation Coeff.)
2️⃣ ZDR (Diff. Reflectivity)
3️⃣ SRM
4️⃣ SW (Spectrum Width)

Drop your pick! 👇

10/02/2026

📅 HISTORIC STORM SPOTLIGHT 🌪️

On October 2, 1898, the powerful 1898 Georgia Hurricane made landfall near Cumberland Island, Georgia, as a devastating Category 4 hurricane packing estimated sustained winds of 135 mph and driving an catastrophic 16-foot storm surge across coastal Georgia and northeast Florida.

The storm overwhelmed St. Simons Island, Brunswick, and the low-lying sea islands, flooding downtown streets under feet of seawater, destroying coastal ports, and claiming over 170 lives. To this day, it stands as the last major hurricane (Category 3+) to make direct landfall along the Georgia coastline.

Spotter takeaway: Decades-long "landfall droughts" along specific coastal stretches can create false senses of security. Historical events remind observers and spotters that powerful major hurricanes can and do strike coastline segments that have remained quiet for generations.

Did you know the Georgia coastline has not experienced a direct Category 4 hurricane landfall since October 1898? Drop your thoughts below! 👇



Answer to the question: Yes! Because of the concave shape of the Georgia Bight, tropical systems tracking northward up the Atlantic coast often recurve offshore or track inland through Florida or the Carolinas first. However, the 1898 event proved that when a major hurricane strikes perpendicular to the Georgia coast, the shallow coastal shelf drives catastrophic storm surge into the sea islands and inland sounds.