Jackson County Storm Spotter Trainings

OKMRC volunteer may be interested in attending Storm Spotter training.  The training is offered by the National Weather Service in Norman.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Norman conduct storm spotter training sessions each year to help prepare spotters for the upcoming severe weather season. The NWS conducts the training at the invitation of local emergency management officials who organize the training and 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 spotter needs to know, with a focus on safety, identification of key weather features and proper reporting procedures. Most sessions are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about being a spotter, but you should check to be sure before attending a class.

For more information:

Lloyd Colston
kc5fm@juno.com

 

:  Who can attend the training?

A:  All spotter training classes - including on-site classes and webinars - are free and open to anyone who's interested in attending. There is no expectation or requirement that attendees become storm spotters.

 

Q:  Will attendees get a certificate?

A:  NWS Norman will email a certificate to those who complete the webinar training. We do not provide certificates for the on-site classes.

 

Q:  Is CLEET credit available?

A:  Yes. Oklahoma law enforcement officers will receive two hours of CLEET credit for attending a live on-site class. Credit for webinar attendance is limited to those officers who attend a session hosted by the local emergency manager.

 

Q:  How long is the class?

A:  The class usually runs about two hours, including a break about halfway through. 

 

Q:  Will this training make me a certified storm spotter?

A:  NWS Norman does not certify storm spotters. If you complete the training, we consider you to be a trained storm spotter.

 

Q:  Will I get an ID card/code number/sticker/badge/etc?

A:  No. NWS Norman does not issue spotter ID cards or spotter numbers.

 

Q:  Is the material presented on-site different than what's presented on the webinars?

A:  The content of all the training is very similar. On-site classes will typically include more video to help illustrate key points.

 

Q:  What if I can't attend any of these sessions? Is there any other training available?

A:  There are several options. Video of the basic spotter training presentations is available on our YouTube channel. Multimedia training modules are available here. Other NWS offices provide similar training, so it may be possible to attend a class conducted by an adjacent NWS office.