Martin County Skywarn

03/16/2026

? ☢ Did you know we have a nuclear power plant to our north in St. Lucie County? This year marks the 50th anniversary of the St Lucie Nuclear Power Plant going online. On March 1, 1976, Unit 1 went online with Unit 2 following on August 8, 1983.

03/12/2026

2026 National Hurricane Conference – Amateur Radio Forum

Updated: March 12, 2026

“Forecasts are predictions. Observations confirm reality.”

Amateur radio will once again play an important role at the 2026 National Hurricane Conference, held March 30 – April 2, 2026, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

The Amateur Radio Forum will take place Tuesday, March 31, from 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT in Salon 5/6 (2nd Floor). This forum brings together leaders from the hurricane forecasting, emergency management, and amateur radio communities to discuss how radio communications support hurricane operations.

Why Amateur Radio Matters
Modern hurricane forecasting relies on advanced observing systems including satellites, Doppler radar, reconnaissance aircraft, ocean buoys, and automated weather stations. However, hurricanes can disable instruments — particularly where the storm is strongest — causing buoys to fail, weather stations to lose power, and communications systems to go offline.

This often occurs precisely when forecasters most need reliable surface observations.

Amateur radio operators provide ground-truth reports from people experiencing the storm, helping forecasters confirm conditions and improve the accuracy of warnings issued to the public.

Every report matters.

A reminder to operators in affected areas:
Never assume someone else will report conditions from your location.
When everyone assumes another station will make the report, critical observations may never reach forecasters. If it is safe to do so, your report may be the only confirmation from your area.

Event Information
Amateur Radio Forum – National Hurricane Conference
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 | 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM EDT
Location: Rosen Centre Hotel – Salon 5/6 (2nd Floor) – Orlando, Florida

Attendance at the Amateur Radio Forum is free and open to the public. Conference information is available at:
www.hurricanemeeting.com

Attend in Person, Watch Live, or View Later

Attend forum in person, watch the livestream, or view the recording afterwards.

LiveStream: https://www.youtube.com/live/k9aHwsliekU
YouTube: Posted a few days later – https://www.youtube.com/HurricaneWatchNet

Featured Presentations (Subject to Change)
• Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR – Canadian Hurricane Centre
• National Hurricane Center – Amateur Radio Collaboration Overview
• Julio Ripoll, WD4R – WX4NHC Operations
• Bobby Graves, KB5HAV – Hurricane Watch Net Overview
• Rob Macedo, KD1CY – VoIP Hurricane Net & Tropical SKYWARN Best Practices
• Bill Feist, WB8BZH & Joe Bassett, W1WCN – Salvation Army SATERN
• Josh Johnston, KE5MHV – ARRL Emergency Management Update

Presentations will also review how amateur radio supported operations during the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Door Prizes
Attendees present at the forum will have the opportunity to win several door prizes, including:
• Items from the HWN merchandise store
• Hand-crank AM/FM/NOAA emergency radio
• Grand Prize: Tempestº Personal Weather Station by WeatherFlow

(You must be present to win.)

We hope to see you in Orlando, watching live online, or viewing the recording afterward as we prepare for the 2026 hurricane season.

03/09/2026

Let’s all be ready.

03/05/2026

Siren Test Thursday, March 5
The Martin County Emergency Management Agency, St. Lucie County Public Safety Department and Florida Power & Light will conduct a quarterly testing of the outdoor warning sirens for the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant at noon Thursday, March 5.

The test will involve a one-minute sounding of all 91 sirens within the 10-mile St. Lucie plant emergency planning zone. Before and after the sirens sound, a message will be broadcast on the sirens' public address system stating, "This is only a test."

The siren system is tested quarterly to improve public awareness of its function and ensure operability.

02/18/2026

‼️ Don’t forget - you can buy prize tickets 🎟️ at any time before the Stuart Hamfest by going to our website at https://www.mcaraweb.com

We have GREAT prizes this year and you don’t need to be present to win! So make sure you buy early so you don’t forget! 📻

02/02/2026

Beginning Monday February 2, 2026, the FP&L Siren Team will conduct maintenance on the 91 sirens within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ). Each siren will be tested individually and will include:

• A visual inspection
• A public address announcement stating, “This is a test”
• A 20-second air horn activation
• A concluding announcement stating, “This was only a test”

This activity will take place weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., continuing through Friday February 6, 2026.

An Alert St. Lucie notification has also been scheduled to inform the public who are subscribed to receive alerts. This notification will be sent Sunday February 1, 2026 beginning at 2:00 p.m.

To learn more about Public Safety and to sign up for alerts, visit www.ReadyStLucie.org

12/21/2025

Welcome to our Florida Winter. 😎Happy Holidays.

❄️ WINTER SOLSTICE IS TOMORROW — Sunday, December 21, 2025

The Winter Solstice occurs Sunday morning, at 10:03 AM ET (9:03 AM CT | 8:03 AM MT | 7:03 AM PT).

This will be the day we get the least amount of daylight all year and the longest night. The Sun takes its lowest path across the sky — and then after this, our daylight slowly starts coming back starting Monday!

So yes… winter is just getting started,
but the days officially stop getting shorter. 🌤️

12/20/2025

☄️ Before we wrap up the year, the night sky has one last gift for us. The Ursid Meteor Shower is peaking, and for the first time in years, the conditions are nearly perfect.

Here is your observing guide for the 2025 Ursids:

🗓️ When to Watch: The peak activity occurs on the night of December 21–22 and the early morning of December 23.

🌑 Moon Situation: Excellent news! With the New Moon having just passed on December 20, the sky will be pitch black. A thin crescent moon will set early in the evening, leaving the entire night dark for meteor hunting.

🌍 Visibility: This is strictly a Northern Hemisphere show. The radiant is near the celestial north pole, meaning it doesn't rise for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere.

🔭 What to Expect: The Ursids are a low-key shower, producing up to 10 meteors per hour. However, they are known for occasional outbursts, and with zero moonlight interference, you might catch faint meteors usually hidden by glare.

How to View:

🧥Bundle up—it is the Winter Solstice, the longest (and often coldest) night of the year!
🌌 Look North toward the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor). The meteors radiate from near the star Kochab.
👀 Give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust to the darkness.

Clear skies to all for the last show of the year! 🔭🌌

12/09/2025

12/05/2025

Bravo. 🇺🇸

12/03/2025

Saturday December 6th - MCARA is doing a special event station K4V at the Road to Victory Military Museum! Please join us to learn more about amateur radio, check out the free museum & to honor the remembrance of Pearl Harbor.

11/14/2025

Help support our local area clubs and consider attending the Ft Pierce Hamfest on Saturday, December 13th.