Community Education to Hold Advanced Storm Spotting Class

The University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton will hold a course on advanced storm spotting, conducted by a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Little Rock. This is a single-evening course and will take place on February 10, 2020, at 6:00 p.m., at UACCM’s Workforce Training Center. Completion of this course is the next level in storm spotter training—OEM Advanced Storm Spotter Certification—after a previous class in January where attendees earned their Skywarn Storm Spotter Certification.

The advanced spotter training class will give a detailed look at storm spotting and severe weather operations. It will be an in-depth look at advanced storm spotting strategies and the science of using weather radar in warning operations.

The role of storm spotters during extreme weather events, like severe thunderstorms or tornadoes, is critical. Storm spotters help fill in the gaps between surface weather stations and radars by reporting directly to the NWS. These spotters are on the ground, provide real time updates, and add detail to a meteorologist’s announcements to the public. Spotter information is also used to verify warnings, which researchers use to improve the warning process.

The class is free and open to the public. Only those who have the Skywarn Storm Spotter Certification may be eligible to receive OEM Advanced Storm Spotter Certification.

To register for the class, contact Denise Pote, coordinator of workforce development and community education at the UACCM Workforce Developmentand Community Education, at 501-977-2189 or worforce@uaccm.edu. Registration is also available online at uaccm.edu.