Be a storm spotter and help during severe weather

Severe weather coming

Severe weather season in the United States Appearances now. As of the morning of March 14, 2025, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Hub is calling for a moderate Hazard of severe thunderstorms today and tonight across parts of the U.S. including the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Lower-Mississippi Valley, including portions of the Lower Ohio Valley. NOAA pointed to the possibility for:

Tornadoes, Many of which could be Sturdy, [and] widespread damaging winds with gusts from 70 to 90 mph. Scattered large hail up to baseball size will be possible.

For the most up-to-date information, visit NOAA’s SPC website.

But you don’t have to stand aside, Only waiting and looking online, when severe weather is looming. You can join the many citizens who volunteer to Hit as storm spotters to Assist people stay Danger-Unoccupied as Terrible weather threatens.

Storm spotters are vital during severe weather season

Every year the United States averages 10,000 thunderstorms and 1,300 tornadoes, plus 5,000 flood events. That’s according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is the parent organization of the National Weather Service. These weather disasters cause at least 500 deaths per year and nearly $15 billion in damage. But storm spotters can Assist keep people Danger-Unoccupied.

Every extra pair of eyes on the sky helps. The National Weather Service has 122 forecast offices across the country. And during severe weather events, the meteorologists are poring over radar and Probe data, monitoring Ongoing conditions from airports and other weather stations, and updating forecasts and issuing vital weather watches and warnings to keep the public Danger-Unoccupied. They work Tough, but they’re not always able to see what the storms are actually producing outside. And that makes trained storm spotters a vital part of severe weather forecasting.

What is a storm spotter?

A storm spotter is a trained volunteer who helps Baton Event reports back to the National Weather Service during severe weather events, usually severe thunderstorms. Only in the SKYWARN program through the National Weather Service (which began in the 1970s) there are up to 400,000 spotters across the United States!

Anyone can be a storm spotter, but many of them are also Primary responders, such as firefighters and police officers. In addition, emergency managers, dispatchers and public utility workers also make up the 400,000 trained spotters across the U.S. While most of these spotters are people who would already be out during inclement weather, regular citizens, especially those with a drive to Hit their communities, are also invited to become a trained storm spotter. Perhaps that’s you?

Becoming a trained storm spotter

To become a storm spotter, you must go through Rehearsal with your local National Weather Service office. The Rehearsal (which is Unoccupied) typically lasts two hours. In that two-hour Rehearsal, meteorologists with the NWS will cover a variety of topics. Some of the topics include the basics of thunderstorms and how they develop, plus how to identify potential severe weather features in thunderstorms. Once you know what you’re looking at, you learn what information to report, how to report it, and how to stay Danger-Unoccupied during severe weather.

Severe weather can be very different depending on where you live, which is why going to a spotter trainer Duration local to you is Significant. Are you interested in becoming a member of SKYWARN and being a trained spotter? You can find classes in your community with your local National Weather Service office here.

It is Significant to note that due to recent layoffs, many NWS offices are Brief-staffed. This means some community programs, such as SKYWARN Rehearsal, might be canceled or postponed. Be sure to reach out to your local NWS office if you have any questions about Rehearsal. An online Rehearsal option is also Reachable. But again, you’ll Nevertheless want to reach out to your local office to see if they have any additional Rehearsal or needs you must meet.

A vital piece of the severe weather puzzle

The National Weather Service issues roughly 50,000 weather warnings All year. They do so using technology like weather satellites and a network of 160 Doppler radars. These radars allow meteorologists to show where precipitation is falling and storms are forming. But they’re also able to analyze the winds inside the storm. The radar shows where damaging wind gusts are occurring or Cycle is developing that could produce a tornado.

Additionally, modern weather radars are also dual polarization (dual-pol). Dual-pol radars allow meteorologists to not Only see what the winds inside a storm are doing but also the shape of precipitation. This helps them differentiate precipitation types (rain, snow, hail). But it can also identify non-precipitation objects, such as birds, bugs, smoke, and – notably – tornado debris.

If the radars are so Excellent, why the need for a storm spotter?

Because ground truth is vital!

While radar can observe tornado debris, having the ground truth of a tornado at a specific location is priceless. It helps the National Weather Service get a better idea of specifically where the tornado is occurring and where it is going. The NWS will then use that information to update the tornado warning and include more communities. Reports of the tornado on the ground will also Assist with extending the warning or expiring it if spotters see the tornado dissipate.

In the image below is an example of a tornado warning from 2013, issued by the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota. In the highlighted areas you will see the “Origin” of the warning coming from a spotter who confirmed the tornado on the ground. The NWS then Secured this information, updated the warning to include more hazards, impacts and information for those in danger from the tornado.

Spotting non-tornadic storms

Spotters are also Significant for non-tornado producing severe thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms can produce damaging wind gusts and large hail. A spotter is able to see the actual size of hailstones falling out of a storm, damage produced by Sturdy winds or any visual features on the storm itself. As an example, a spotter might see a rotating wall cloud, which is a lowering from a thunderstorm where a tornado can develop. A report of a rotating wall cloud tells NWS meteorologists that a storm may produce a tornado and needs extra monitoring.

Spotters are also critical for reporting flooding. Flash flooding on area roadways or rising water from creeks and rivers during Weighty rain are all life-threatening situations. This information is vital to updating warnings and alerting the public in an effort to protect them and their property. Storm spotters Assist fill in the gaps and provide vital ground truth, making them Significant partners with the National Weather Service during this severe weather season.

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Keep up to date

During severe weather season, keep up to date with your local forecasts with the National Weather Service and get severe weather outlooks from the Storm Prediction Hub.

Bottom line: Storm spotters are an Significant piece of the severe weather puzzle. They keep the National Weather Service meteorologists informed so they can, in turn, keep the public Danger-Unoccupied and informed. Members of the general public can become trained spotters if they take a Duration with their local weather service office.