Editing Skywarn (section)

== Storm spotting ==
Where severe storms are possible, storm spotting groups such as Skywarn in the United States coordinate [[amateur radio operator]]s and localized spotters to keep track of severe [[thunderstorm]]s and [[tornado]]es. Reports from spotters and [[storm chasing|chasers]] are given to the National Weather Service so that they have [[ground truth]] information to warn the general public. Spotting provides ground information and localized conditions that the National Weather Service might not know the extent or might not otherwise be aware of. They typically report events, such as structures struck by [[lightning]], rotating [[wall cloud]]s, [[funnel cloud]]s—or conditions that exceed specific thresholds, such as extremely strong [[wind]]s, significant [[hail]] or very heavy rainfall. The exact reporting thresholds can vary by region and may even dynamically change during a severe weather event. Spotters also give reports during [[winter storm]]s, [[flood]]s, [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes]], and [[wildfire]]s. Some spotters also play a role in damage assessment after a disaster, by reporting or documenting areas of damage, and by helping to formulate preliminary damage estimates (such as for [[Tornado intensity|tornadoes]]).

Other countries have similar programs, such as the Canadian spotting program [[Canwarn]], the SkyWarnUK and the [[TORRO|Tornado and Storm Research Organisation]] (TORRO) programs in the United Kingdom, and [[Skywarn Europe]] for several European countries.