Changes from previous:

• "S6" was moved about 3 miles west of its previous location to provide a much less obstructed view.
• "N8" and "C9" have been added as new sites in Tippecanoe county.
• Benton, Warren, and Fountain county spotter locations have been added with "B", "W", and "F" designators, respectively.

Updated files are immediately available, and should be downloaded by all TCARES members as soon as practical.  They include: a detailed list of spotter positions (with latitude, longitude and a brief description), county maps plotting the approximate locations, a Google Earth file, and other relevant data.

These updated documents and files are in effect immediately, and supercede all previous versions.  Discard all previous versions and replace with the 2012 documents.  They can be found on the "Weather" menu by selecting "Spotter Locations".  Or, just click here:  www.w9tca.com/spotter-locations

Testing of Tippecanoe County's warning sirens takes place on the first Saturday of every month at 11:00 a.m. local time.  A net is conducted on the WI9RES 147.135 repeater to collect reports from amateur radio operators on the status of the sirens.  This information is then relayed to the Tippecanoe County Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

We want to encourage you to participate in this valuable public service.  More details about the siren test net are forthcoming.

Saturday, June 16 is the day of the Greater Lafayette Soap Box Derby.  Amateur Radio Operators provide communications between the top and bottom of the hill to assure the cars are lined up in the correct order, and the right cars get sent back to the top.

The race will be on Grant Street in front of the West Lafayette High School again this year.  Please contact Jeff Stewart, KF9UP, if you're interested in helping out.  www.lafayettesoapboxderby.com

Accurate and timely spotter reports are critical to our local community and to the National Weather Service.  However, your first priority as a storm spotter is to STAY SAFE!  Severe storms present a number of hazards, any of which could lead to injury or death if you’re not extremely careful.  A new spotter safety page has been added to the "Weather" section of this web site.  It also contains the TCARES storm spotting policy: www.w9tca.com/spotter-safety 

Another new feature, the "SKYWARN Spotter Situational Awareness Portal", is designed to offer quick and convenient access to NWS resources that many of us check on a daily basis.  While not suitable for local threat assessment, the links to the SPC products give SKYWARN spotters an idea of the potential for severe weather at the national and regional levels in the next day or two.  The "Weather Data" page has been added to the "Weather" section, and can be accessed directly at:  www.w9tca.com/weather-data