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Ocala
Saturday, May 18, 2024

SKYWARN Storm Spotter training class being held in Ocala this week

The National Weather Service is hosting another free SKYWARN Storm Spotter class this week that will teach Marion County residents how to spot early warning signs of extreme weather.

The class will take place on Thursday, November 3, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Operations Center, which is located at 698 NW 30th Avenue in Ocala.

MCSO skywarn
During the SKYWARN class that was held on January 5, 2022, a total of 40 Marion County residents became certified storm spotters (Photo courtesy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office)

Lightning and severe weather causes billions of dollars in property damage each year, according to the National Weather Service. This training class will provide participants with essential information for all types of weather hazards, including thunderstorms and tornadoes.

During the upcoming class, participants will learn the following:

  • The fundamentals of storm structure.
  • How to identify potential severe weather features.
  • How to report information, along with what information to report.
  • Basic severe weather safety.

SKYWARN is a volunteer program with over 350,000 trained severe weather spotters throughout the country who provide accurate and timely reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

For more information, or to register for the class, visit the National Weather Service SKYWARN Storm Spotter webpage.