โก๏ธWe offer online basic and advanced spotter courses each spring and fall, usually during March and October, leading into our regional climatological increases in severe weather. These online courses are FREE and allow individuals to complete the course(s) in the comfort of their home or office using GoToWebinar. By attending any course, which runs about 1 hour, an individual or group of individuals will become a SKYWARN storm spotter. โก๏ธUnless you'd like to or are in need of a refresher, which we recommend, you do not have to attend more than one basic course as the material covered is the same; however, we require you to attend at least one basic course before taking the advanced course. These courses are two-way, meaning you will be able to interact with the NWS meteorologist leading the training. You will be muted while training is in progress, but you may use the built-in feature to ask questions. Note: A spotter class may be cancelled or rescheduled if affected by active weather.
How to Attend an Online Storm Spotter Class To avoid being hurried, give yourself at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the class to complete the following:
Send questions, comments, or inquires to gerald.satterwhite@noaa.gov
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SKYWARN is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer weather spotters. Storm spotters come from many walks of life, including fire fighters, law enforcement, amateur radio operators, and the public. SKYWARN storm spotters provide important ground truth information to NWS warning forecasters who make critical warning decisions during severe weather, and help the NWS perform its primary mission to save lives and property. Note: This is not storm chaser training. A storm spotter is a volunteer service that is conducted primarily from fixed locations such as from home, work, or around your community. The National Weather Service does not endorse or encourage the use of storm spotter training for storm chasing. SKYWARN name and logo are trademarked: SKYWARN® is a registered trademark of NOAA's National Weather Service. Please read the rules for the usage of the SKYWARN® name and logo.
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Visuals and Descriptions ๐NWS Weather Spotter's Field Guide Version One ๐NWS Weather Spotter's Field Guide Version Two ๐NWS JetStream - An Online School for Weather
Amateur Radio Clubs ๐ปALERT - Alabama Emergency Response Team ๐ปBirmingham Amateur Radio Club ๐ปMontgomery Amateur Radio Club ๐ปTuscaloosa Amateur Radio Club
Modules Note: These modules do not replace storm spotter training provided by NWS Birmingham but rather are a supplementary source. If you complete these modules, you are still encouraged to attend one of the online classes. We do not provide NWS storm spotter certificates for completing the MetEd modules below. Additionally, NWS Birmingham does not provide Spotter ID numbers.
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Remember: be concise and accurate with your report -- what happened, when did it happen, and where did it happen? Please do not report things you are seeing on your radar app. ๐Send a report via NWS Birmingham web page ๐ธ Include #alwx on your social media report and a photo if possible
๐Rotating wall cloud, funnel cloud, or tornado ๐Hail (any size):
๐Strong or damaging winds
๐Flooding: ๐Severe Thunderstorm criteria (any combination of the following):
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