National Weather Service to offer severe weather education program next month
Forecasters from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth will conduct a Skywarn severe weather education class in Breckenridge next month to help prepare local residents and train storm spotters for the upcoming severe weather season.
The class, which will be free and open to the public, will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at Texas State Technical College. It will provide hazardous weather information and safety tips, as well as offer training for attendees to become official storm spotters with a certificate provided at the end of the class. Skywarn certificates are good for two years.
The Skywarn presentation covers topics such as severe thunderstorm characteristics, cloud formations, identifying the different threats associated with severe storms, how to report, and basic weather safety.
The NWS conducts the training across North Texas in partnership with local emergency management officials who, in most cases, are responsible for maintaining their local storm spotter network. The training sessions are typically about two hours long and cover fundamental information that every resident and spotter needs to know, with a focus on safety, identification of key weather features, and proper reporting procedures.
Anyone can attend any in-person class (regardless of the county you reside in), or you can register for an online class. Unless noted, you do not have to pre-register for an in-person class; simply show up at the location at the date and time listed. For virtual classes, registering in advance for the class is preferred but you can also join at the start time.
For more information about the Skywarn program, click here.
