RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) — SKYWARN is a program that was designed for the public to help the National Weather Service identify severe weather. Composed of volunteers, SKYWARN members attend a training class and then relay visual reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service and other meteorologists. These reports consist of identification of tornadoes, funnel clouds, rotating thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds and flooding.
Normally, the training class is a program that takes place at a public facility. However, the National Weather Service in Wakefield is offering an online class Thursday, March 28 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Advanced registration is required, and you must live in the Wakefield office’s coverage area. You can get more details here.
Conceived in the late 1960s and implemented in the 1970s, SKYWARN consists of almost 300,000 members from areas covered by over 120 National Weather Service offices. For more information about the SKYWARN program, click here.
