NORTH CAROLINA -- With severe weather season in full swing, it’s been “all hands on deck” for us at Spectrum News and for meteorologists at the National Weather Service offices.
As you might expect, it can be hard work and quite stressfull at times. But, it’s a passion for meteorologists, a passion that for most of us started feeling when we were kids.
One thing is for sure, we couldn’t do it without the help of well trained SKYWARN Spotters. The National Weather Service has a large network of volunteers trained as Storm Spotters. It’s an excellent way for all sorts of people in our community to get involved in keeping everyone informed and safe during storm events. Everyone interested in helping with public safety is encouraged to attend SKYWARN Spotter training especially police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers, and other individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches, and nursing homes. The classes only take around two hours to complete.
Here is what you will learn:
- Basics of thunderstorm development
- Fundamentals of storm structure
- Identifying potential severe weather features
- Information to report
- How to report information
- Basic severe weather safety
So, if you are a concerned citizen with a passion for weather and you would like to be more involved, go to this website and learn more about how you can become an official Storm Spotter.