Who We Are

The South Plains Storm Spotting Team (SPSST) is a private foundation of dedicated ham radio operators that share a passion in severe weather and helping their community. The team dedicates their time and money to provide the Lubbock Office of the National Weather Service with real time information on severe storms affecting their 24 county warning area. This information is relayed through ham radio repeaters strategically placed around the South Plains that are linked together as one network. This is done in an effort to assist the National Weather Service with timely storm warnings and warning verification. Go to the F.A.Q page for more information about Skywarn and storm spotting.

What We Do

1. Respond to Stand-by and Activation request from the National Weather Service (NWS).
2. Proceed to areas of interest as indicated by the NWS.
3. Send a senior member of the SPSST to the NWSFO. for correlation with the NWSFO WSR 88D Doppler Radar operator to interface.
4. Communicate via multi-county network of linked amateur radio repeater sites to exchange information between SPSST spotters and NWS radar/forecast personnel.
5. Use all resources, training, and experience to communicate accurate information from the field to the NWSFO to describe exact conditions of the storm being studied.
6. Use our own vehicles.
7. Use our own mobile radio equipment.
8. Use our own personal finances for fuel and other travel expenses.
9. Average almost 200 vehicle miles per activation.
10. Average almost 20 activations per year.
11. Perform these services at virtually no expense to the NWS or the public whom we perform these task.

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