HURRICANE WATCH NET MARKS 60 YEARS OF SERVICE

On the weekend of August 30th, the Hurricane Watch Net celebrates 60 years of service to the U.S. National Hurricane Center and communities impacted by the storms.

The HWN began in 1965 when amateur radio operator Jerry Murphy, K8YUW, heard calls from hams in the Bahamas asking for information about Hurricane Betsy. Seeing the need for an organized net, Murphy began coordinating and relaying reports from hams in the Bahamas, Florida and across the affected region. The current net manager, Bobby Graves, stated [quote] “when information is scarce and lives are at stake, amateur radio can be a lifeline.”

Today, nearly 60 volunteers across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Honduras, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, and Aruba relay real-time weather data and storm damage reports directly to NHC’s amateur station, WX4NHC. Since its founding, the Net has supported 156 landfalling hurricanes, including 60 major hurricanes and 12 Category 5 storms.

A special operating event commemorating the anniversary was held in early June, since the actual date fell during the peak hurricane season.