Justification - SKYWARN

Project Title: SKYWARN

Program Office Sponsoring or Conducting this CSC Project: NWS/Analysis, Forecast, and Support Office

Authority for this CSC Project: National Weather Service Instruction 10-1807

Purpose of this CSC Project: Storm spotters reporting severe weather to the NWS helps save lives.

Type(s) of Information Collected and From Whom It Is Collected: Trained Skywarn Storm Spotters report the presence of weather phenomena such as tornadoes, flooding, storm surge, and hail by date/time and location.

Use of the Information: NMS uses this information in climate records and storm reporting, as well as in operations as a way to verify or even trigger warnings.

Method(s) of Information Collection: NWS collects that information in various ways including phone calls, texts, NWS Chat submissions, and social media

Affected Public: Individuals.

Estimated Average Annual Number of Participants: 2,000

Estimated Average Annual Number of Responses per Participant: 1.8

Estimated Average Minutes per Response: 2

Estimated Average Annual Burden Hours: 120

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Participants in this CSC Project: $0

Estimated Average Annual Costs to the Federal Government: $1,758,391

Estimated Average Annual Number of Federal Government Employees (FTEs): 10.20

Recruitment and Retention Methods for Voluntary Participants (SSA item 1): NWS Weather Forecast Offices organize several SKYWARN Training events throughout the year. These training events provide volunteers with the needed skills and resources to become SKYWARN Spotters, and connect them to their local office on the various ways to communicate their observations. Training events are socialized over social media and their websites, as well as collaborations with local emergency management offices and other partners.

Gifts or Payments (SSA Item 9): We do not plan to provide a gift or payment to the voluntary participants.

Annual and Multi-Year Schedules (SSA Item 16): Skywarn is a continuous program with no defined end date.

Display OMB Control No. and Expiration Date (SSA Item 17): This information will be provided, if applicable, when individuals sign up to participate in this CSC project.

Statistical Methods: This CSC project will not employ statistical methods.

Approval for Pretesting: This CSC project will not require additional pretesting with more than nine members of the public.

Supplemental Documents: The supplemental document for this CSC project is the August 17, 2022 National Weather Service Instruction 10-1807. The following two statements from that document make it clear that the training and reporting are region specific.

As of this instruction’s effective date, there is no national training standard. NWS offices should use various means to provide SKYWARN Weather Spotter training, including capitalizing on emerging technologies (e.g., virtual reality).

The local WCM (or designee) has the authority to determine the appropriate SKYWARN Weather Spotter reporting criteria and methods that are utilized in their CWA, except as directed and supported by the Regional Headquarters (i.e., to standardize reporting methods and software). Consistent and current reporting instructions should be provided to all trained SKYWARN Weather Spotters. Multiple reporting methods are encouraged to maximize participation in the SKYWARN Weather Spotter program. The goal should be to make the local SKYWARN Weather Spotter Program reporting as useful as possible to the local WFO warning program and to the local Integrated Warning Team’s situational awareness.

In addition, Appendix A of that document (SKYWARN Weather Spotter Program Reporting) lists the advantages and limitations of 10 methods of reporting. Therefore, the data collection forms and apps are not included as supplemental documents.

CERTIFICATION: I certify the following are true.

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The collection will not include highly influential scientific information, ,which is information NOAA or OMB determines: (i) could have a potential impact of more than $500 million in any year, or (ii) is novel, controversial, or precedent setting or has significant interagency interest.

5. The collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

6. The collection will provide qualitative and quantitative data that help inform scientific research and monitoring, validate models or tools, support STEM learning, and enhance the quantity and quality of data collected to support NOAA’s mission.

Name: Doug Hilderbrand