NWS Weather Spotter Training in Arlington Heights

NWS Weather Spotter Training

Weather Spotter Course Real-time reports are critical in issuing warnings and saving lives.  That’s an indisputable fact.  Spotters provide this real-time ground-truth of local conditions - such as hail size, wind speed, tornado development, and local damage - to help warn the public. Even as new technology allows the National Weather Service to issue warnings with greater lead time, spotters will always serve as a critical link between radar indications of severe weather and what’s happening on the ground. This course will provide the background information you need to better understand severe weather and serve as spotter. Who are spotters? Virtually every community has some form of spotter network. Often, local fire and police personnel are trained to observe and report severe weather, partly due to their extensive radio communication and 24-hour operations.  Citizens may also be an active part of the spotter network, some with an avid interest in the weather and many without.  Some spotters are amateur radio operators.  All share a sense of responsibility to their neighbors. With the information you will learn in this program, you too will be able to serve as a spotter. Class Materials and Prerequisites There are no prerequisites for this course. If you are interested you can take the online spotter course and download the spotter manual at the following links. https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_course.php?id=23 https://www.weather.gov/media/lot/spotter/basicspotterguide.pdf

Categories: Science