REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- There's one thing that Ellen Ramsey and Alfreda Alexander want to make clear -- they don't chase storms.
They look for them.
As trained storm spotters, the two Aviation and Missile Command employees working in the G3 Operations-Protection Division, Emergency Management have attended the Skywarn Program offered by the National Weather Service in Huntsville primarily because it was training they could use in their work of informing AMCOM employees about weather dangers.
They also took the training for personal reasons -- so they are aware of the conditions of impending bad weather.
But Ramsey's reasons are even more personal than that.
"The first time I took the class was years ago," she said. "I took both of my kids, who were in high school. At the time, my daughter thought she wanted to be a meteorologist. But it was my son who actually became a meteorologist."
Not every young person who attends the Skywarn Program will become a meteorologist. But, both Ramsey and Alexander think it's a good idea for parents to take their children -- from about fifth grade and up -- to the two-hour class because it encourages weather awareness.
"The last class I went to, there were a lot of children in attendance," Alexander said. "They were all engaged and they knew more about the clouds than a lot of the adults did because they also study weather in school."
Both Ramsey and Alexander emphasized that the storm spotter class is not a license to chase storms.
"It is not a storm-chaser class. It is a citizen awareness class," Ramsey said. "The National Weather Service needs storm spotters on the ground," Ramsey said.
"Trained eyes on the ground can assist the National Weather Service with verifying what has happened outside while meteorologists are monitoring radar screens and weather models, Alexander added.
"Citizens who attend the class can volunteer to become official storm spotters or they can simply go and learn for their personal weather awareness. A lot of first responders, police officers and amateur radio operators take the course, but it's open to any citizen who wants to learn about the weather in this area."
The NWS-Huntsville is offering its spring storm spotter course -- known as the Skywarn Program -- at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center's National Geographic Theater One on March 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. The course is free and open to the public. No registration is required. Classes are always full, so attendees are encouraged to arrive early to ensure a seat.
The course is being taught in every north Alabama and south Tennessee county, including Colbert County, Thursday; Dekalb County, Saturday; Cullman County, Feb. 16; Lauderdale County, Feb. 23; Morgan County, Feb. 25; Limestone County, March 1; Jackson County, March 3; Franklin County, March 22; and Moore County (Tenn.), March 28. For a complete listing of locations and times, visit the NWS website at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=skywarn .
The class teaches the basic science of weather, explains weather reporting criteria and uses videos to show the dangers of threatening weather. It helps citizens understand the different weather terms used by weather forecasters.
"Being weather aware can really make a difference in terms of life safety. It's good to be able to look at the clouds and have some indication of what to look for to decide if they are dangerous," Ramsey said.
"It can be harder than you think to spot bad weather. Tornadoes can come rain-wrapped or at night. Hills and other terrain features can get in the way of seeing oncoming storms. Anyone who lives in this area knows how hard it is to predict weather. This class can help everyday citizens know when it's time to take shelter from a storm."
For those citizens who become official storm spotters, Ramsey said they need to view their volunteer storm spotting as "a community outreach effort that provides an opportunity for people to become weather aware. It's also a great opportunity for people new to the community to better understand what our weather can do here."
Often, information provided by storm spotters can mean the difference in whether a community will receive federal aid for storm damage. Storm spotters who can verify the type of storm and the direction a storm travels often help the NWS in confirming the type and extent of storm weather.
"Most tornadoes happen at night or are wrapped in clouds," Alexander said. "Without storm spotters on the ground, a lot of those won't get picked up."
For some storm spotters, attending the class one time is not enough.
"I try to catch the class once a year," Ramsey said. "It's a good refresher. The information is always interesting and the classes are scheduled twice a year right before our traditional severe weather seasons."
"It's a new experience for me every time," added Alexander, who has attended three classes. "It confirms what I need to know and gets me prepared for severe weather season. It helps me to brush up on my skills."
Alexander reported weather conditions one time when nickel-size hail fell in her neighborhood.
Many storm spotters also are HAM radio operators.
"When it comes to bad weather, there is a very robust community of amateur radio operators commonly calls HAMs. They provide a citizen all-volunteer communication network when traditional phones and power go down," Ramsey said. "HAMs stand up their radio network when severe weather threatens, like the recent flooding in December and potential for several weather Feb. 1 through the early morning hours. The Ham radio operators assist in relaying information to the NWS as well as the Emergency Management Agency."
Alexander said that an added benefit of the storm spotter classes is that they build connections between citizens who are both concerned about the weather and who want to help their communities.
"The classes can help to build relationships in the world of service in our neighborhoods," she said.
Editor's Note: For a complete listing of area SKYWARN courses go to: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=skywarn . For more information on past tornado activity in the north Alabama area, visit the Huntsville NWS's tornado database at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hun/?n=tornado .
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