Kenosha County Emergency Management will be sponsoring a combination free Basic/Advanced Tornado Spotter’s Class on Wednesday, April 11, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm, at the Bristol Village Hall, 19801 83rd Street, Bristol. Though the class is free, people need to register with Kenosha County Emergency Management at (262) 605-7900 with your name, phone number (in case of cancellation) and how many people will be attending, so as to assure enough seating and potential handouts.
“The public is highly encouraged to attend to learn more about severe weather, how it is formed and how it affects them. Law enforcement, fire, EMS, public works and amateur radio operators are especially encouraged to attend, stated Lt. Ed Van Tine, Director of Kenosha County Emergency Management.
Trained weather spotters are the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service. Weather spotters provide critical information during severe weather to the county and the National Weather Service. This combination class will inform citizens what they need to know to identify potential hazardous weather. Whether people want to be a trained weather spotter or just become more knowledgeable about severe weather and tornadoes, this class is extremely informative.
The April 11 combination course will cover basic meteorology, including how tornadoes are formed, tornado spotting tips and reporting procedures, types of thunderstorms, thunderstorm development, wall clouds/scary looking clouds, tornado classifications/variations and a tornado’s life cycle. Kenosha County is one of the few counties able to have a National Weather Service meteorologist on site for this course.
April 9 through 13 is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week with the mock tornado drill on Thursday, April 12, at 1 p.m. The Awareness Week and drill will offer opportunities for schools, businesses and families to discuss and practice for severe weather activities. It’s important that everyone, regardless of where they are at when severe weather strikes, knows what to do and where to go.
With Wisconsin’s increasing annual average of 23 tornadoes, the NWS confirmed 38 in Wisconsin last year. Be prepared for you and your family before the storm.