HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.02.2020 Storm Spotter Training
City of Plainview NEWS
901 Broadway St.
Plainview, TX 79072
February 25, 2020
City of Plainview’s Emergency
Management to Offer National
Weather Service’s SKYWARN®
Storm Spotter Training on Monday,
th
March 9
The City of Plainview’s Emergency Management
team will host the National Weather Service’s
SKYWARN storm spotter training on Monday,
th
March 9 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Fair
Theater located at 717 Broadway.
The class is free to anyone who would be interested in joining the SKYWARN® program
and has an interest in public service. Volunteers include police and fire personnel,
dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers and other concerned private citizens.
Individuals affiliated with hospitals, schools, churches and nursing homes or who have a
responsibility for protecting others are encouraged to become a spotter.
“Having more trained storm spotters would be a big asset to the City and the
community,” says Jeff Stalcup, Emergency Management Coordinator. “While the NWS
radars are more accurate than in the past, spotters play an important role and the more
trained spotters available in the area, the better prepared we will be.”
To obtain critical weather information, the National Weather Service (NWS) established
SKYWARN® with partner organizations to help obtain critical weather information.
SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe
weather spotters around the country. 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 focus is reporting on severe local thunderstorms.
SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with between 350,000 and 400,000 trained severe
weather spotters across the nation. These volunteers help keep their local communities
safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather
Service.
Training is free and typically lasts about 2 hours. Participants will learn the basics of
thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe
weather features, information to report and how to report information.
To sign up for the class or for more information, contact the Sgt. Jeff Stalcup at
296.1190.
###