Weather sensors help meteorologists with the National Weather Service forecast conditions, but they don’t have all the answers. Because of this, the Service’s SkyWarn Storm Spotter volunteers are essential in aiding staff to issue warnings and advisories.

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The city of Santa Clarita has been hosting weather spotter training annually for about eight years, and there are already a number of trained spotters throughout the valley, acting as the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service.

This year the training is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in City Hall’s Century Room, where volunteers will hear from experts about severe weather hazards as well as background on the National Weather Service itself.

There will also be a question and answer session at the end of the presentation.

Weather spotters submit “on-the-ground” reports to the National Weather Service office in Oxnard by phone or online. Important conditions include high winds, hail, lightning or heavy rain.

“It help us as forecasters to issue a warning if there isn’t one out or verify a warning,” said Meteorologist Joe Sirard, who will be leading the training. “Spotters fill in a lot of the gaps.”

The training is free and open to the public and no RSVP is required.

Those who complete the 90-minute class will receive a spotter ID badge, a spotter packet and instructions.

For more information, contact the city’s Emergency Services Supervisor, Donna Nuzzi at 661-250-3721 or Joe Sirard with the National Weather Service at joe.sirard@noaa.org.

Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.

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