Become an official storm spotter this fall

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Hard to believe fall is just over a week away, isn’t it? With that in mind, it’s time to starting preparing for Alabama’s fall severe weather season that really ramps up in November and December.

It’s not just time for the public to prepare, it’s also time for the meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Birmingham to prepare. To help get ready for the so-called second severe weather season the NWS is hosting several storm spotter classes.

These classes are held twice per year -- during the late winter and early fall. They are free to attend, last about two hours and are open to absolutely anyone who’s interested in signing up.

The National Weather Service in Birmingham is holding several online courses this fall for... — The National Weather Service in Birmingham is holding several online courses this fall for those interested in becoming a SKYWARN storm spotter.(WSFA 12 News)

Once you attend one of the basic courses you officially become a SKYWARN storm spotter. In addition, once the basic course is completed you are then eligible to sign up for the advanced course.

The courses are geared towards providing helpful, beneficial and important information about thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, flooding, and much more. The information you learn during the course will help you provide vital information to the NWS.

“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.”

There will be two in-person storm spotter courses offered by the National Weather Service in... — There will be two in-person storm spotter courses offered by the National Weather Service in Birmingham this fall.(WSFA 12 News)

Most of the courses being conducted this fall are online. The single advanced course being offered in late October will also be held online. If you’re interested, there are two separate in-person courses you can attend -- one in Selma, the other in Talladega.

The in-person storm spotter training course being held in Selma is also a Community Listening Session. So not only will you be able to gain SKYWARN storm spotter status, you’ll also be able to ask questions and engage in general weather conversation, among other things!

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