The Missouri - Illinois Regional Skywarn Association (MIRSA)
The Skywarn Program in the St. Louis Missouri Metro Area (excluding St. Louis County) covers 20 counties in two states.
The National Weather Service (NWS) for that area is located in St. Charles County and as one of the Super Offices has
Doppler Radar and covers a wide area.
The 146.67 MHz repeater is used as the coordinating repeater. When the Skywarn system is activated, 2-3 members of the
St. Charles County Amateur Radio Club respond to the NWS and become net control at the Weather Service. They monitor
the area-wide coordination repeater.
Adjacent counties set up their own independent nets at County Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) on local repeaters,
and send out their own Net controls report to Wx Service ops on the 67. One or two operators with packet provide NWS
info on 144.97 Packet to the net control operators of the local area nets.
County Emergency Management Systems (EMS) provide the overall operational direction to the Skywarn System within their
county. They activate local EOCs usually before NWS has activated. County Emergency Coordinators (ECs) have paging
capabilities at their homes and in their vehicles. They also can serve as net control operators from their cars and
talk direct to the weather service. Pagers are used for notifying the most active volunteers. These volunteers quickly
check in with the local managers and are deployed where they are needed.
Non-ham SW Observers use the Civil Defense repeater on 155 MHz for coordination. Mutual aid agreements between local
units of government control the operation. Local TV Stations help by supplying information usually via telephone.
The St. Louis System works with the philosophy the "Early detection means early warning means lives saved." Local ECs
can sound the sirens, activate the cable TV shutout and announce on all cable channels. They can report to the
Emergency Broadcast System and to the NWS. Sharing information is the role of Skywarn in the St. Louis Metro Area.
Professionals from NWS provide both basic and advanced Skywarn training for the Skywarn Spotters.
An interesting highlight of the system is that they also operate snow emergency nets based upon weather service
information. If more than four inches of snow is expected, the nets are activated and hospitals are contacted.
In addition to observation reporting, hams with four-wheel drive vehicles are activated and deployed to transport
key medical personnel to hospitals.
Readers needing more information should contact Gary Schuchart, N0EZH, ARRL Emergency Coordinator, St. Charles County
Emergency Management Agency, Office of Civil Defense, ARES/RACES, St. Charles Amateur Radio Club, 8 Cricklewood Ln,
St. Peters MO 63376.
Lynn E. DeLong, NØCVI
