STORM SPOTTER SCHOOL HELD
Wednesday, April 19th, 2006 -- 8:54 AM
Audio - 1:38Clark County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service are bringing SKYWARN Storm Spotter School to Owen tonight (Wednesday).
100 people attended the class last year, according to Emergency Management Director Jennifer Lord Kouraichi.
"SKYWARN Storm Spotter school trains spotters to be on the ground and call in reports to the National Weather Service," Kouraichi explains.
Tonight's class will be taught be Todd Shea, the National Weather Service's warning coordinator.
"The class will go through the stages of a thunderstorm, some guidance on night-spotting and reporting procedures," Kouraichi says.
Cloud formations, up-drafts and down-drafts, squall lines, super cells, tornados, tornado-look-a-likes and wall clouds will be discussed at the meeting, Kouraichi says.
Clark County is at the edge of the National Weather Service's La Crosse area, even though radar technology has improved over the years, meteorologists rely heavily on the public to report severe weather.
"Clark County is pretty far away from the radar. Last year, when we had the June 4th tornado, a trained spotter was the first person to call it in and alert the National Weather Service. From there, warnings were issued."
The public is invited to attend tonight's free class that will run from 7-9 p.m. at the Meadowview Golf Course in Owen. Kouraichi says you'll be able to sign-up to become an official "spotter". For more information call Clark County Emergency Management at 715-743-5100.
From the Archives:
[url=http://www.cwbradio.com/news/inc/fullnews.php?id=329]6/6/05 -TORNADO RIPS THROUGH CLARK COUNTY[/url]
[url=http://www.cwbradio.com/news/inc/fullnews.php?id=333]6/8/05 -SEVERE STORMS HIT AREA AGAIN[/url]
On the Web:
[url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/]National Weather Service - La Crosse[/url]
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