[Troop139] Fwd: [Rrc] SKYWARN® Weather Spotter FREE Training

[James Gordon Beattie Jr]

Hi Folks!Here is a great way to advance your weather safety and merit badge skills.  Today at Noon and Tuesday at 6:00 pm there is a two hour webinar for Skywarn safety.  Scouts, family members and friends are all welcome.  Don't worry about the age requirement - all are welcome.  Go online and register.  If you take it, please send me an email or text.Stay well and safe!Yours in Scouting!Gordon Beattie, W2TTT 201.314.6964

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From: Rrc <rrc-bounces at arcsquared.org> on behalf of DrM <notable at mindspring.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2020, 10:09
To: 'rrc'; dsrc at groups.io
Subject: [Rrc] SKYWARN® Weather Spotter FREE Training



    
  
  
    

    
      
      The National Weather Service
          (NWS), a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
          Administration (NOAA), relies on volunteer spotters to collect
          and provide critical information about localized inclement
          conditions, including hail size, tornadoes, downed trees,
          flooding, rain amounts and snowfall depths. 

          

          Spotters learn reporting skills via a 2-hour Webinar, provided
          by their local field office, at no charge. The field
          office that serves our area is PHI (Philadelphia / Mount
          Holly). Those who complete the Webinar are assigned a unique
          spotter number, and become part of the 

      SKYWARN®
              volunteer program that includes 350,000 and 400,000
              trained severe weather spotters throughout the USA. These
              volunteers help keep their local communities safe by
              providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to
              the National Weather Service.

              

            You only need to attend one Webinar to
          become a spotter. 

          Two opportunities for attending a live Webinar session are:

          Saturday (TODAY!) April 18, Noon-2PM EDT or

          Tuesday April 21, 6PM-8PM EDT

          

          If you can't make one of the times listed above, you are
          welcome to view the recorded presentation! Further
          information, including how to register for a live class
          session, or to get the link for the recorded presentation, is
          available at https://www.weather.gov/phi/classes

         
      

Who is eligible and how do I get
            started? 
       
      

NWS encourages those who are age 18+ and have
          an interest in weather and public service to consider joining
          the SKYWARN® program. Being in the
          program does not mean that you are required to report all
          weather events, you can do this as much or as little as you
          like, on an ad hoc basis. Volunteers may receive alerts to
          know when their services will be needed. These alerts also can
          help keep you informed about changing conditions. Reporting
          typically occurs via the Internet or phone, but since these
          may not be functional in severe conditions, licensed Amateur
          Radio Operators (Hams) are strongly encouraged to become
          spotters. It's also helpful (but not necessary) to have a
          weather radio.

        
      

The training session provides the latest
          information about how severe weather conditions develop and
          what constitutes a reportable observation. You'll learn:
       
      
        Basics of thunderstorm development
        Fundamentals of storm structure
        Identifying potential severe weather
            features
        Information to report
        How to report information
        Basic severe weather safety
      
      In an average year, the United States experiences
        more than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more
        than 1,000 tornadoes! Since the program
        started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN® spotters, coupled with Doppler radar
        technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS
        to issue more timely and accurate warnings. SKYWARN® storm spotters form the nation's first
        line of defense against severe weather. From personal
        experience, I know that serving as a spotter gives one a better
        sense of awareness of weather's effects on the local community,
        and it is rewarding to know that your efforts  may have given
        your family and neighbors the precious gift of time -- minutes
        that can even help save lives.

        

        I hope you will take the Webinar and become a spotter! Let me
        know if you have any questions!

        

        Rebecca Mercuri, K3RPM.