Storm Spotter Training Class is Oct. 22

A free SKYWARN Storm Spotter Training Class is scheduled at 6 p.m. Oct. 22 by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City and the Douglas County Emergency Management Agency.

The class will meet at the Douglas County Courthouse (Citizens Hall), 8700 Hospital Drive, Douglasville.

SKYWARN is a volunteer program with more than 230,000 trained severe weather spotters.

These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service, according to a Douglas County statement.

The class is open to anyone with an interest in the weather - amateur radio operators, police and fire personnel, dispatchers, EMS workers, public utility workers, emergency management teams, boaters, weather enthusiasts and the general public.

Topics to be covered include:

• Importance of Storm Spotters
• Basics of thunderstorms
• Relationship among the National Weather Service, the news media and Emergency Management
• Basic radar interpretation
• Identifying storms and potential severe weather features
• How to report storm information and what to report about it
• Storm spotting safety and awareness tips