When it comes to severe weather, you can never have too many people collecting information. Many times, meteorologists are forced to work with little information, and that is why it is important to have as many trained "spotters" as possible. Spotters pass along important storm information to the National Weather Service, which in turn passes the information to television stations, radio stations, and other organizations. This information can be life saving.
Now is the time of year where you can learn what to look for, and how to report weather information to the National Weather Service, and it is absoloutely free. During March, April, and May, the National Weather Service Office in Cleveland (that is the office that serves most of our viewing area) holds SKYWARN Training seminars to educate the public on what to look for in severe weather. The first one in our area is in Crawford County.
Here is some information from the National Weather Service in Cleveland:
Being a storm spotter not only means dedication, but also training. Each spring the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service trains members of police & fire departments, emergency management officials and amateur radio operators on spotting techniques. Typically the training is coordinated by a local group (such as an emergency management agency), and a NWS meteorologist serves as the guest instructor. The goal of the training is not just to recognize tornadoes, but to have some understanding of storm structure, which in turn better prepares the spotter for the extreme and unusual circumstances.
SKYWARN Training is FREE and open to the public. Please attend any of the training sessions listed above. You will be trained and enrolled in the program. You do not need to pre-register.
For additional information contact:
Gary Garnet
(Warning Coordination Meteorologist)
National Weather Service
5301 West Hangar Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44135
216-265-2382 EXT 223
e-mail:gary.garnet@noaa.gov
There will be a seminar on April 22nd in Erie, and one on May first in Ashtabula. More information will be passed along on the Storm Team Weather Blog as we get closer to those dates.
On a personal note, I am a trained spotter, and this is truly an important service that you can provide your community. You do learn a lot of cool things to look for when it comes to weather too. And this information could be very valuable to you if you are ever outside when severe weather starts to develop.
Ray Petelin,
WSEE Storm Team Meteorologist