Local weather spotters needed
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October 22, 2013 |
The National Weather Service (NWS), is looking
for volunteer weather spotters in Boundary
County, and they're offering free training from
6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at South Boundary Fire
Station 1, 20 Stagecoach Road, Naples.
Weather spotters are the “eyes and ears” of the
National Weather Service and provide valuable,
first hand weather reports, which cannot be
replaced with machines and technology. These
volunteers form the Nation's first line of
defense against severe weather.
There can be no finer reward than to know that
your efforts help give communities the precious
gift of time - seconds and minutes that can help
save lives.
Although weather spotters provide essential
information for all types of weather hazards,
the main responsibility of a 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 very often threaten lives and property.
Since the program started in the 1970s, the
information provided by weather spotters,
coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved
satellite and other data, and has enabled NWS to
issue more timely and accurate warnings for
tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash
floods.
NWS encourages anyone with an interest in public
service and access to communication to
participate; private citizens, HAM radio
operators, police and fire personnel,
dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility
workers, etc. Individuals affiliated with
hospitals, schools, churches, nursing homes or
who have a responsibility for protecting others
are also encouraged to become a spotter.
How can you get involved?
Simply attend the training which will cover such
topics as: Basics of thunderstorm development,
Fundamentals of storm structure, Identifying
potential severe weather features, Information
to report, How to report information and
Basic severe weather safety.
For more information, please contact Andrew
Brown, NWS Spokane, (509) 244-0110, extension
223.
Editor's Note: I apologize for the short
notice on this class, but due to the recent
government shutdown, it was uncertain whether
this class would take place. |
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