The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is hosting a free weather spotter training class on Thursday, March 19, 2020, 6:00 p.m., at the Knoxville Fire Department,137 N Public Square, Knoxville, IL 61448 . WQAD’s James Zahara will be attending the training, potentially with the StormTrack Beast depending on the weather.
There is no fee to attend and pre-registration is not required. The public is encouraged to attend.
Severe weather spotters are a vital part of the warning process, providing potentially life-saving information to the communities and rural areas of Knox County. In addition, spotter reports provide NWS forecasters with the first-hand information that is necessary to issue warnings and updates during severe weather events.
Topics covered in the spotter training class include:
- Thunderstorm development and features
- Types of thunderstorms – especially those that impact Illinois
- Types of tornadoes, landspouts and gustnadoes
- Non-tornadic severe weather
- Resources for spotters
- Spotter positioning and spotter safety
- Effective spotter reports
For more information, please contact the Knoxville Fire Department at 309.289.2020.
***Report Courtesy of the City of Galesburg***
