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Storm spotter training available this spring: Why is it important?

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — While meteorologists have lots of technology to detect storms, a volunteer set of eyes can be crucial during severe weather. The National Weather Service held a Skywarn storm spotter training Monday evening at Atrium Medical Center in Middletown. The training takes two hours to complete, allowing students to learn techniques for identifying severe weather. Even with all the technology meteorologists have at their disposal, tools like doppler radar have their limitations. Due to the curvature of the Earth, the further the radar beam goes, the higher it is scanning into the sky, missing critical data at the surface.'We can't see low into a thunderstorm, we may not be able to see a rotation in the lowest levels of a thunderstorm, say a couple thousand feet above the ground. So we really rely on our spotters to tell us what they are seeing from ground level,' said Kristen Cassady, NWS Wilmington meteorologist. These free sessions provide the knowledge to confidently report sightings of tornadoes — something an average observer could mistake for a simple cloud.'We talk about potential obstructions to your view, and we talk about the difference between a funnel cloud and like a scud cloud and a wall cloud and a shelf cloud,' said Cassady. 'And we give our spotters pointers on how to differentiate between those different look alike clouds and then be able to tell what that means for your particular location.'While some people shelter in a tornado warning, not all do, and ground truth of a tornado may make them rethink that decision.'If they know that what we are warning of is already happening, they're more likely to take action and to get themselves into a safe place,' said Cassady. 'At the end of the day, that's what we want at the National Weather Service to protect lives and property. And our spotters certainly help us with that.'The class on Monday has already convened. If you want to be trained in the future, there is a virtual session in May. You can find upcoming dates here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.