Training

Nobody starts out knowing what they're looking at.

Spotter training is free, open to the public, and requires no amateur radio license. It is the first step to becoming a spotter.

Upcoming

Scheduled training.

NWS Springfield Training Get Involved

Curriculum

What the class covers.

A basic spotter class runs about two hours. It is classroom-style, heavy on photographs and video, and taught by National Weather Service meteorologists.

Storm structure

How a severe thunderstorm is built, which part of it produces what, and where a spotter can safely see the features that matter.

What is and is not a tornado

Wall clouds, funnel clouds, scud, rain shafts, and shelf clouds. Most false reports come from a handful of look-alikes.

Estimating and measuring

Hail sizing against known objects, wind speed estimation from observed damage, and rainfall measurement.

Reporting

What meets criteria, how to structure a report, and how to pass it - on a net or directly to the National Weather Service.

Spotter safety

Positioning, escape routes, night spotting, lightning, and flooded roadways. The material that keeps this a volunteer activity and not a dangerous one.

Two Sources

Where training comes from.

NWS Springfield classes

The National Weather Service offers free SKYWARN spotter training throughout the region each year, typically in the run-up to spring severe weather season. Classes are held in communities across the county warning area, so there is usually one within reasonable driving distance. These are the official classes, taught by the forecasters who will receive your reports.

Our own sessions

We hold additional training of our own - practical sessions aimed at the things a classroom cannot cover well, like net procedure, radio operation under pressure, and working with our specific repeater system. These are announced as they are scheduled.

The weekly net

Our Tuesday evening training net is the ongoing part. It is where new spotters practice giving a report to a real net control operator with real people listening, which is a different skill from knowing the material. Everyone is welcome, and nobody minds a rusty first check-in.

What You'll Be Reporting