https://youtu.be/PQnGyGhaxdw
Video: Nikki Saraniti
Last Monday, Feb. 25. the local National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio brought their Skywarn Spotter training course to Miami University's campus.
The training took place at the Athletic Performance Center, and taught Oxford residents and students alike on how to report severe weather to their local National Weather Service office. Those who took the course were certified as official spotters and are now able to report severe weather upon completion of the two-hour long course.
The course was led by Andy Hatzos, a National Weather Service certified meteorologist from the local Wilmington office, who talked to participants about techniques and safety regarding reporting severe weather. Participants were required to pass a small quiz at the end of the lecture in order to become fully certified spotters.
Spotters are also recommended to take a class every two years in order to keep information fresh and current, Hatzos said.
"We typically hold around forty of these classes in one year, and we average out to 2,000 people attending across the 52 counties in the state," he added.
Hatzos said that conducting the Skywarn training was part of the Miami's bid to become StormReady, which ensures to the weather service that the university has proper procedures to get people to safety and keep them informed about severe weather.
As part of the application, Miami also hosted representatives from the National Weather Service as well as members of its Ohio Advisory Board for a visit on the same day of the training course.
This certification is part of a national program that encourages communities to be proactive when preparing for hazardous weather situations through enforcing clear guidelines for emergency managers.
The Wilmington National Weather Service office also covers Ohio State University's campus and their Newark satellite campus, Sinclair Community College and the University of Akron. The office also conducts StormReady programs for organizations and certain areas such as amusement parks, such as Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
Hatzos emphasized the importance of spotters, identifying types of severe weather, reporting procedures, spotter safety and how to report severe weather over the course of the two-hour training session.
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Severe weather can be reported by non-spotters through email (iln.webmaster@noaa.gov), phone (937) 383-0031), or social media (Twitter, Facebook) as well as local radio broadcasts.
The National Weather Service relies on 10,000 trained spotters around the country to report severe weather to their local offices, in order to properly warn residents of impending weather.
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