RIPLEY COUNTY, IN — The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Wilmington Ohio has scheduled three virtual spotter training webinars that will be open to the public and free of charge. The Skywarn storm spotter program is a nationwide network of volunteers trained by the National Weather Service to report significant weather.
The staff at NWS Wilmington Ohio is responsible for issuing warnings for Ripley County. The NWS has observing systems, such as radar, satellite, and surface observing systems, however, they all have limitations. Storm Spotters provide critical information that helps mitigate those limitations. Your real-time, ground truth observations of tornadoes, hail, wind, and significant cloud formations provide a reliable information base for severe weather detection and verification. These reports help the NWS fulfill its mission of “protecting life and property.”
Each of the three classes will be conducted as a live webinar with live Q&A. They will use the GoToWebinar software, which can host up to 1,000 people for each session. These webinars will not be recorded. If the demand is high enough, the NWS may consider a fourth webinar in April or May. All those who attend will need to register in advance. Below are the links to the three currently scheduled classes:
Spotter Webinar 1: Tuesday, February 22, 2022 (6 until 8 pm):
register.gotowebinar.com/register/8979512873121186060
Spotter Webinar 2: Thursday, March 24, 2022 (6 until 8 pm):
register.gotowebinar.com/register/4650246311892748044
Spotter Webinar 3: Monday, April 18, 2022 (7 until 9 pm):
register.gotowebinar.com/register/8239934073279106317
The information and registration links are also available at the spotter training website — weather.gov/iln/spottertrainingschedule.
People living or working in Ripley County are encouraged to sign up for the CodeRED system to receive weather and other emergency alerts. You can visit ripleycounty.com and click on the CodeRED logo or text RIPLEYCOALERTS to 99411 to receive a direct link to the enrollment form on your mobile device.
(Ripley County Emergency Management Agency press release)
