Severe Weather Spotter course teaches the basics of Skywarn

Nati o nal Weather Service meteorologists from Morristown, Tenn., will present a free Severe Weather Spotter course, called Skywarn, in Chattanooga on Friday, Feb. 3.

Begun in the 1970s, Skywarn is a volunteer program with 350,000 to 400,000 citizens trained to provide timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the NWS.

Although Skywarn spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, their main responsibility is to identify and describe severe local storms and provide verification to the NWS of what is actually taking place at ground level.

Since the program’s inception, according to the NWS, the information provided by Skywarn spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled the agency to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. The average year sees 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes across the United States.

The NWS meteorologists will teach attendees the basics of thunderstorm development and the fundamentals of storm structure, train spotters on how to identify potential severe weather features and provide i nformation on what information to report.

Participation is free. Anyone with an interest in public service and access to communication, such as ham radio, is encouraged to j oin the Skywarn program. Friday’s training is sponsored by the Chattanooga Amateur Radio Club.

In addition to private citizens, Skywarn volunteers include police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers and public utility workers. Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches, nursing homes or who have a responsibility for protecting others are also encouraged to become a spotter.

Friday’s program is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. in Probasco Auditorium on the ground floor of Erlanger’s Medical Mall, 979 E. Third St.

Walk-ins are welcome. For more information, visit www.nws.noaa.gov/ skywarn.

STAFF FILE PHOTO BY BEN BENTON A free Severe Weather Spotter course offered by the National Weather Service will teach participants how to identify the potential for severe weather, such as in this 2015 storm cloud that loomed over Waldens Ridge in Sequatchie County at the Highway...