In partnership with local officials, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth will be hosting a virtual SKYWARN Spotter Training class for Lamar County citizens on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m.
SKYWARN® is a citizen volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe weather spotters. SKYWARN® storm spotters are citizens who form the nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.
Although SKYWARN® spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In an average year, the the United States experiences more than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes.
The SKYWARN presentation covers severe thunderstorm characteristics, cloud formations, identifying the different threats associated with severe storms, how to report, and basic weather safety.
“We strongly recommend everyone attend a SKYWARN presentation at least once a year to refresh on these concepts. If needed, training certificates are provided at each class. We do not issue Spotter IDs,” said NWS online.
Registration is required. The class is free.
CLICK HERE to register for the webinar.
