For the first time in five years, a severe storm spotter training course will be offered in Oktibbeha County.
The training will be offered Monday at 6 p.m., hosted by the Oktibbeha County Fire Department in conjunction with the Mississippi State University Extension for Government and Community Development, and presented by the National Weather Service. It is free and open to the public, with registration starting at the door at 5 p.m. The program will be held at the Bost Extension Conference Center located at 180 Bost Extension Dr. on the MSU campus. Training is expected to last about two hours.
Participants will learn how to identify weather patterns, including mesocyclones, wall clouds, funnel clouds and tornadoes, as well as squall lines and hail.
The training will also cover how to contact the NWS with the information gathered.
“The more information we get, the more eyes we have, the better information we have,” said OCFD Training Officer Ryan Check.
Storm spotters are used to identify and describe severe local storms, providing periodic reports to the NWS. Between 350,000 and 400,000 volunteer spotters make up the national program.