Storm Spotter Training

media release: Dane County is hosting two NWS Storm Spotter trainings on Wednesday, April 16. These sessions are free and open to anyone interested in becoming a trained weather spotter. Two opportunities are available that day:

 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Dane County Emergency Management (2982 Kapec Road, Fitchburg, WI, 53719)

• 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Marshall Fire Department (119 Industrial Dr., Marshall, WI 53559)

These sessions will cover weather safety for spotters and the general public, along with the essentials of what you need to know to report severe weather to the NWS. Each session will cover the same information, so you only need to attend one. No pre-registration is required.

Spring has arrived, and with it comes an increased risk of dangerous storms, flooding, and high winds. April 7-11 is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin, and everyone is encouraged to take time to review their emergency plans and how they will receive alerts about dangerous conditions.

“When dangerous weather is in the forecast, it’s important to know what you should be doing if a severe storm approaches your area,” advised Dane County Emergency Management (DCEM) Director Charles Tubbs. “Plan ahead by identifying where you will seek shelter when a storm is nearby, along with how you will receive updates about any weather watches and warnings.”

Ideal tornado and storm shelters can include a basement, ground floor interior room of a building, or a specially constructed safe room designed to withstand high winds and falling debris. Modular homes and campers do not provide adequate shelter from dangerous high winds, so it’s important to identify a safe shelter nearby that you can go to when there’s a risk of severe weather in the forecast.

Everyone should also have multiple ways to receive severe weather alerts so they know when to seek shelter during a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning.

“While Dane County maintains a network of 144 outdoor warning sirens, those are located primarily in densely populated areas and are designed to be heard by people who are outside. You may not hear them inside,” said Dane County Executive Melissa Agard. “Have several ways to receive weather alerts, such as enabling Wireless Emergency Alerts on your smart phone, putting a NOAA Weather Radio in your home, and checking in with local media to stay weather aware.”

You can also sign up to have alerts from Dane County sent directly to your phone and email. You can register for these free alerts, which include updates on severe weather, evacuation notices and other hazards, at https://em.countyofdane.com/emergency-alerts.

Emergency Management works closely with the National Weather Service (NWS) to stay informed about possible severe weather and to know when to warn Dane County residents to seek shelter. The NWS also relies on trained weather spotters to help collect information about current conditions and to identify damage caused by storms.

Learn more about Dane County Emergency Management on our website. You can also follow us on Facebook and BlueSky for weather updates and preparedness tips throughout the year.