Volunteer as a storm spotter for Madison County

The effects of severe weather are felt every year by many Americans. To obtain critical weather information, NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, established SKYWARN® with partner organizations. SKYWARN® is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. 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 main responsibility of a SKYWARN® spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property. Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, enables the NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. SKYWARN® storm spotters are part of the ranks of citizens who form the Nation's first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that their efforts have given communities the precious gift of time--seconds and minutes that can help save lives. Madison County Emergency Management is pleased to announce a Basic and Advanced Storm Spotter Training Courses. These courses will be held at the Madison County Emergency Operations Center located at 1083 SW Harvey Greene Drive in Madison. The Basic Spotter Course is recommended for any first responder, emergency manager or general weather enthusiast. The training material is appropriate for ages 10 and up. This course lasts about 90 minutes. The Advanced Spotter Course is designed for individuals who want to learn in depth about severe storm dynamics as well as basic radar interpretation. This course may only be appropriate for those who have a significant interest in the weather. This course also lasts about 90 minutes. Basic Spotter Course is set for Thursday, March 26 at 7 p.m. and the Advanced Spotter Course is set for Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. For more information contact the Madison County Emergency Operations Center at (850) 973-3698.