NOAA: Weather Spotter's Field Guide: A Guide To Being A SKYWARN Spotter

The United States is the most severe weatherprone country in the world. Each year, people in this country cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,200 tornadoes, and two landfalling hurricanes. Approximately 90% of all presidentially declared disasters are weather-related, causing around 500 deaths each year and nearly $14 billion in damage.

SKYWARN® is a National Weather Service (NWS) program developed in the 1960s
that consists of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe
and hazardous weather to help meteorologists make life-saving warning
decisions. Spotters are concerned citizens, amateur radio operators, truck
drivers, mariners, airplane pilots, emergency management personnel, and
public safety officials who volunteer their time and energy to report on
hazardous weather impacting their community.