HATTON, Mo. - The National Weather Service, in conjunction with the Callaway County Office of Emergency Management, will offer weather spotter training Tuesday.
The training is free and open to the public. Registration begins at 6 p.m. and the class at 6:30 p.m. at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church, 3639 Route E, in Hatton. It should last about an hour to 90 minutes, emergency management director Michelle Kidwell said.
"Basically, they'll be learning how to be able to look at cloud formations, the storms that are rolling in, understand what a funnel cloud looks like and what rotation looks like," Kidwell said.
In short, participants will learn how to spot potentially dangerous weather situations - and how to distinguish them from, say, a scary-but-harmless cloud. They will also learn how to react when weather threatens and where to take shelter.
"People always think storm fronts are a tornado and they'll get scared," she added. "It's really a great training for the public to give them the situational awareness of what you can do and can't do."
Class attendees will also receive information about Callaway County's mass notification system, Smart911 (bit.ly/2Ga0els). Users opt in to Smart911, which is a national system, and fill out a profile with information such as address, medical conditions, pictures of their children and so on.
"They can add as much or little info as they want," Kidwell said.
When a user calls 911, their profile is automatically sent to dispatchers, which can help boost response time. In a medical emergency when an ill person is unable to communicate clearly, it can be life-saving, Kidwell added.
Smart911 users can also sign up for emergency alerts such as flash flood and tornado warnings.
Kidwell said the information about storm spotting will be presented by a real meteorologist from the NWS, who will show pictures and video of past storms, tornadoes and other weather events.
Aside from learning how to keep themselves and loved ones safe, attendees can help preserve the safety of Callaway County as well.
"By taking this class, people can become a volunteer storm spotter with the National Weather Service," Kidwell said.
Volunteers will receive a volunteer ID. Then, if they spot a tornado or developing funnel cloud, they can report it to the NWS for confirmation, allowing the NWS to send out a tornado watch or warning.
"That's very helpful for me," Kidwell said.
Interested people of all ages are welcome to attend. Kidwell said Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts can put the class towards earning preparedness badges.
"I can actually sign off on whatever they need for the group," she added.
The class is offered every other year in different parts of the county.
For more information, call the Callaway County Office of Emergency Management at 573-592-2480 or email [email protected].