Plainview Emergency Management hosting storm spotter training class on March 9

LUBBOCK, Texas (NEWS RELEASE) – The following is a news release from the City of Plainview:

The City of Plainview’s Emergency Management team will host the National Weather Service’s SKYWARN storm spotter training on Monday, March 9^th from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Fair Theatre 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.

(News release from the City of Plainview)