Last week, over 20 residents spent two hours learning what it takes to become a SKYWARN spotter for the National Weather Service. Spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, with the focus on reporting the strength and impacts of severe local thunderstorms here in Central Florida.
“Our radars, sensors, and instruments can only tell us so much, so we rely on our network of SKYWARN spotters to help establish and verify hazardous weather, including high winds, hail, flooding, and funnel clouds or tornadoes,” said Will Ulrich, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Melbourne, who conducted the training.
There are currently 150 trained SKYWARN spotters across Osceola County, and over 1800 in total across the counties covered by NWS Melbourne, from Volusia County to Martin County along the coast and four adjacent inland counties, including Osceola. A comprehensive network of spotters enables NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for weather hazards. Classes are held at least once per year per county and must be retaken every three years to maintain certification…