NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The fall season is the secondary severe weather season in Middle Tennessee. And honestly, severe weather in our area can happen in any storm at any time. The National Weather Service is offering free storm spotter training classes to educate the public about what to look for in a storm and how to relay this information back to them.

This program is called the SKYWARN® Spotter Program. The first training started in the 1950s in Kansas after a tornado killed multiple people. The way the program is used has been in effect since 1965. SKYWARN® storm spotters are everyday people, trained by National Weather Service meteorologists, to report the weather features they are seeing that may be of importance during a storm. This can range from damaging winds, hail, and even tornadoes.

Scott Unger, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Nashville office, says that storm spotters are a vital piece of a three-part process. First, he analyzes the radar. Second, diagnosing the environment. Finally, where spotters are helpful is the storm spotter reports. His goal: two of the three parts would be enough to trigger a warning.

Taking the class is free and available to all ages. "The information you can learn in this class can save a life," Unger said.

For the Nashville NWS Office, they are offering online and in-person classes. All classes require you to register, and you can see the list here.

Most of the classes are on basics (mostly the what and how for storms), but there are some advanced classes (online only and specifically about the why of storms).

Some of the weather information you will learn about is the difference between a funnel cloud versus a scud cloud, the life cycle of a thunderstorm, tornado ingredients, what prompts a severe storm or tornado warning, etc.

This storm spotter guide provides excellent context for the various content that the local NWS Meteorologists will cover in the SKYWARN® spotter classes.

After the Fall SKYWARN® spotter class season ends, watch for "Weather 101". These are special sessions hosted by NWS Nashville, diving deeper into specific topics. Registration & dates have not been announced yet, but more information about the topics can be found here.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/weather-headlines/skywarn-storm-spotters/