National Weather Service Skywarn™ Training
Returns to Dutchess County on May 16th
Poughkeepsie, NY… The 2017-18 winter weather season was abundant, leaving many Dutchess County residents without power due to heavy, wet snow. During significant storms or severe weather such as heavy snow, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, or flooding, the National Weather Service (NWS) relies on a trained network of volunteer Skywarn™ spotters to correlate what is seen on radar to what is actually occurring, help warn downstream communities, and verify or improve forecasts and warnings. Dutchess County residents can receive this valuable training from NWS on Wednesday, May 16th from 7-9 p.m. at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, located at 392 Creek Road in the Town of Hyde Park. Pre-registration is required and is available online.
The staff at the NWS Forecast Office Albany are responsible for issuing local forecasts and severe weather warnings for much of eastern New York, southern Vermont, the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and Litchfield County, CT. Skywarn™ spotters act as the eyes and ears helping to provide better services. This session will teach participants the basics of thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe weather features, how to report information, and more.
For more information, visit the Skywarn™ program online, or contact the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response at (845) 486-2080.
