It is that time of the year again when, in many parts of the country, the weather turns severe.
Some folks have blizzards and ice storms.
Others have tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and more.
Most folks turn to their TVs or NOAA weather radios to find out what the impending weather might be.
But, where do the TV stations, the Weather Channel, and NOAA get some of their information?
Much is the result of the expertise of their professional weather service folks.
But, much information is also provided to those folks by the Skywarn Spotters.
Skywarn Spotters? What is that?
Well, it is a volunteer program of about 290,000 'normal folks' who have been trained to be severe weather spotters.
They can be found in almost every community and provide live, on site, instant information to NOAA about the weather conditions in their area.
This information, when combined with the radar reports and expertise of the professional Weather Folks, enables people to get the most up to date information about the weather in a specific area.
You might want to become a spotter. It is easy.
There are Free training classes which will enable you to become a trained spotter.
You do not have to have any particular degrees or other qualifiations. All you need is an interest in the weather and what it is doing.
This is the time of the year when those classes begin.
For example, there is one this evening in Chattanooga TN at the Red Cross Building. It begins at 6 PM and will last a couple of hours.
During that time, in that class or in one near you, you will learn the basics and how to's of being a Spotter.
To find a class in your area, HERE'S THE LINK
To read more about Spotters, what they do, what they learn in Training, and more, go to the National Weather Service Skywarn Home page. HERE'S THE LINK
For the National Skywarn Home page, HERE'S THE LINK
And finally, to read some of the Storm Spotter Guides, and they are verrrrry interesting and helpful whether you are a trained 'Spotter' or not, HERE'S THE LINK
Bottom Line: Seriously consider becoming a Skywarn Weather Spotter. It is very rewarding and can help save lives.
