Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports the Marne Fire Department and Cass County Emergency Management Agency will host a Storm Spotter Training Program on Wednesday, March 13th, from 7-to 9-pm., at the Marne Fire Station. Kennon says a meteorologist from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Des Moines will be on-hand to provide participants with information about safely observing and reporting severe weather. The session is FREE, open to the general public, and no registration is required.

Each year, National Weather Service meteorologists from Des Moines travel to many counties they serve, to provide a comprehensive multi-media spotter training presentation. The course contains information about severe weather climatology, severe thunderstorm types, different severe weather threats and how to identify them, how to report severe weather, spotter safety and severe weather communications. Spotter training classes typically last between one and two hours.

Trained Spotters provide an invaluable service for the Weather Service. Real-time observations provide a truly reliable information base for severe weather detection and verification. Timely and accurate observations assist NWS staff members in their warning decisions, enabling the NWS to fulfill its mission of protecting life and property.

The Spotter Training class on March 13th is sponsored by the Cass County Emergency Management Agency. Questions concerning the class should be directed to the Cass County EMA coordinator, Mike Kennon at 712-254-1500.