Anyone interested in being a storm spotter for the Seminole area is invited to attend a free training session this evening (Thursday, Feb. 16).

The session will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Enoch Kelly Haney Center on the campuses of Seminole State College. Vivek Mahale from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Norman will conduct the session.

The SKYWARN Storm Spotter Program was created by the NWS to improve warning services. The NWS needs real-time reports of hail size, wind damage, flash flooding, heavy rain, tornadoes, and waterspouts to effectively warn the public of inclement weather. Even as new technology allows the NWS to issue warnings with more lead time, spotters will always be needed as links between radar indications of severe weather and ground truth. Storm Spotter volunteers serve as severe weather spotters for the NWS and local emergency management programs, and generally have two things in common - an interest in the weather and a desire to serve their community.