Latest news with #Skywarn
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Storm Watching' seminar to feature Wayne Hart
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT)- As severe weather season continues in the Tri-State, an upcoming event will allow attendees to see how trained weather watchers gather information to keep the community safe and informed. 'Storm Watching' will take place at the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library, McCullough branch on Saturday, May 17. The event will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature Eyewitness News Chief Meteorologist Wayne Hart and members of Evansville Skywarn, a local organization of trained weather watchers. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How to become a volunteer weather watcher for the weather service
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Being a volunteer weather observer helps the National Weather Service office with sourcing critical weather information. Public reports are often the NWS's most valuable details for warning decisions. Just as important is the training private citizens need to supply the NWS with this important information. That's where SKYWARN comes in. SKYWAN is a program conducted by the Austin/San Antonio Weather Forecast Office each spring. Local officials from the office drive all across Central Texas (all 33 counties) holding seminars designed to give attendees a closer look at how to report weather events. KXAN Meteorologist Rich Segal spoke with Troy Kimmel about the upcoming session in Austin. Kimmel is a former local television meteorologist and retired University of Texas professor who, for several years, conducted these training sessions. The training is now done by Warning Coordination Meteorologist Paul Yura. Yura will be teaching both basic and advanced training. Basic SKYWARN is a program providing an overview of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, including how they form, their hazards and their structures. Attendees will learn how to measure hail before submitting a report to the NWS office. This session goes into detail about remaining safe during severe weather outbreaks. It's essential that reports to the NWS be accurate. Real-time reports to the office can save lives and property. The Basic SKYWARN lasts about one-and-a-half hours. Advanced SKYWARN takes a look at weather models, a more in-depth review of the ingredients that make up tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, and an overview of the radar and its products. The advanced program caters to those who want to learn more. The Austin session is on Saturday, March 1, 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It will be held at St. Edwards University in Jones Auditorium in the Ragsdale Campus Center. Registration for the 2025 Skywarn Parking is free but you must register and use the parking link below. The code you will need is WARN. Click here to register for the free parking If you can't make the Austin session there are still many opportunities in other cities for training. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
