Beltrami Co. and National Weather Service Holding SKYWARN Spotter Training

Beltrami County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service will be hosting SKYWARN severe weather spotter training on Monday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. at the county’s Emergency Operations Center.

SKYWARN is a program that provides the public training on how to safely observe and report severe weather. Spotters provide critical information to the National Weather Service, enhancing public safety in several ways.

“Ground truth is very important when it comes to the warning decision process for the National Weather Service,” explained Christopher Muller, Beltrami County Emergency Management Director. “Radars can’t see everything, especially where we’re at about 120 miles or so from the radar. So they rely on our reports to make sure that they’re getting adequate warning and information out to people.”

The free class is open to the public and lasts about two hours. There are no prerequisites, and no pre-registration is required.

A 2024 spotter training schedule and more information on the SKYWARN program can be found here.