Marinette, Wis. — Marinette County Emergency Management has arranged for the National Weather Service – Green Bay to conduct Storm Spotter/SKYWARN training via webinar on April 30.

Normally these trainings are scheduled in a classroom setting. With the safety precautions for COVID-19 in place the NWS Green Bay office has made this alternate arrangement. Class starts at 6 p.m. and lasts approximately one and a half hours. There is no charge for the class; however, since it is a webinar it will use data from your internet plan.

Storm Spotters are volunteers who help their community and NOAA’s National Weather Service by keeping an “eye on the sky” during severe weather. Attendees will learn about cloud formation, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and reporting procedures. First responders (fire, rescue, law enforcement, amateur radio, etc.) and the general public are invited to attend. You must be over 15 years of age to be a Spotter.

To register for the training, there is a link on the Marinette County website. On the homepage, under “Events,” you can find an announcement for “Storm Spotter Webinar” for April 30, 2020.

Alternatively, you can type the following link in your web browser and follow the instructions. https://www.weather.gov/grb/Marinette_County_Spotter_Training).

The training utilizes the program GoTo Webinar which needs to be downloaded to your computer or install the app on your smartphone. When you register, you’ll be asked for your name and an email address. On the “You’re Registered” screen, click on the join the webinar link where GoTo Webinar is installed. It’s suggested you do this well ahead of the meeting to ensure the program works correctly. By registering in advance you will be able to receive communications directly for this event such as changes in schedule.

For other Storm Spotter training dates and locations, you can visit the NWS Green Bay website at http://www.weather.gov/grb/ and select “SkyWarn Storm Spotters” under Information and look for the “Find a class in your area” link. An online spotter program is also offered, which you can find on this same webpage.