WEST MICHIGAN — Severe Weather Awareness Week for the state of Michigan extends from March 19 through March 25.
There are several events taking place during this time period to offer community members reminders on ways to stay safe during severe weather events.
In addition to that, the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids is also beginning their Skywarn Severe Weather Spotters training.
The first Skywarn event for Kent and Ottawa counties is tonight, March 21 from 6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Grandville Middle School. Registration is free and the doors open at 6 p.m. tonight. While all spots have been sold out at this point, they may offer a few walk-up entries.
There will be several other Skywarn Severe Weather Spotter Training events across the state.
The 2023 Severe Weather Spotter Training will take place in Battle Creek on March 25, Alma on April 15, and Muskegon on April 22. All of these events are in person and free to the public. For more information, click HERE.
The reason that the National Weather Service offers the Skywarn Severe Weather Spotter Training is because community members just like you can help substantially during severe weather events.
According to the Kent and Ottawa County Skywarn groups, when severe storms are ripping through the region, it's best to have eyes on the ground.
"The goal of the course is to provide baseline training for all spotters through multiple modules covering the procedures for spotting (including communication and spotter report criteria) and safety considerations for all hazards.
NOAA's National Weather Service meteorologists across the country could use a hand — or more precisely extra eyes — to help them produce the most accurate weather information possible. If you are fascinated by weather, you have the opportunity to become a trained volunteer SKYWARN® storm spotter for your local weather forecast office.
Storm spotters provide valuable information on all types of weather hazards to meteorologists in their local National Weather Service forecast offices. Meteorologists use this information, especially when it comes to severe storms, to create a complete picture of area weather conditions.
The SKYWARN program helps improve the timeliness and accuracy of weather warnings. When coupled with Doppler radar imagery, satellite, and other data, reports from storm spotters help forecasters know exactly what is happening on the ground with rapidly developing storms."
The FOX 17 Weather Team is particularly thankful for community members for providing accurate severe weather reports. We're able to share all of this information to our viewers and have an accurate understanding of the storm passing over West Michigan.
