NWS to offer Skywarn Spotter training classes

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - The National Weather Service (NWS) will be offering classes across Minnesota to help communities stay safe.

These spotters work together in a large, organized effort to watch for severe weather.

According to the NWS, ground-level radar readings become harder the farther away they are; so, spotters help meteorologists see beyond the radar forecast and get first-hand accounts to provide accurate safety warnings faster.

“We can see we got a storm, and we can see we got a storm that’s rotating, and we have potential problems,” explained Twin Cities NWS Lead Forecaster Michael Griesenger. “But the spotter kind of fills in that little gap that we have for what’s actually happening on the ground.”

Classes will be held on Mar. 21, in Waseca and Owatonna, and at 6 p.m., Apr. 4, at South Central College in Mankato.

For more information on Skywarn Spotter training, visit The National Weather Service.

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