Severe weather can move in quickly, and having reliable reports of what’s occurring is vital to letting people know what to expect. The National Weather Service holds free training sessions that are open to anyone who would like to become a storm spotter (it’s important to note that these are not storm chasing classes). They teach attendees about the different types of severe weather, how severe storms behave, and how to identify important storm features. Storm spotters’ reports are invaluable because they tell meteorologists what a storm is (or isn’t) doing, which leads to decisions being made on warnings and what to tell people who live where the storm is moving toward.

Contact EMA for more information at (937) 382-6673.