photo by Robert Stewart: Trainees at the storm spotting session on March 8 wait for the training to begin.

    by Robert Stewart
     Wall clouds, cores, supercells, gustnados and backsheared anvils. Attendees at the annual storm spotter training, put on by the National Weather Service (NWS) and hosted by Seward County Emergency Management, learned about or refreshed their knowledge on these and many other terms and designations at the Seward Civic Center on March 8.
     Brian Smith, warning coordinator meteorologist for the NWS, led the training, which consisted of a video presentation of what to watch for when spotting tornados, how to classify the severity of storms and the procedures storm spotters should follow when in the field.
     The office which Smith represents covers eight counties in Iowa and 30 in Nebraska, including Seward County. Smith said there are about 2,500 spotters operating in the 38-county area.
     He said that, although radar provides the weather service with information, having eyes on the ground in the area a storm is developing provides invaluable eye-witness information.
     "The radar is very good, but most times it is very helpful to have those real-time visuals of the storm," he said.
     There were 17 spotters at the meeting, including four taking the training for the first time. Seward County Emergency Manager Gary Petersen said that spotting crews are comprised of civilian citizens, as well as members of Seward County volunteer fire departments and officers in the Seward Police Department and Seward County Sheriff's Office.
     When storms are developing, spotters are sent out to keep an eye on how the storm is growing, which way it is moving and who might be in danger. They report via two-way radio or cellular phone to the Seward County dispatch center.
     "That's our warning point," Petersen said.
     From there information is relayed to the NWS office from which severe weather watches, warnings and updates are issued.
     "Listening to those reports and paying attention is important," Smith said.
     He illustrated his point by showing footage of the destruction that can be done to persons and property by tornados, hailstorms and flooding.
     Smith also used the videos to instruct the spotters on what should be reported such as tornados or funnel clouds, wall clouds (an isolated lowering of clouds at the base of a rain-free storm cloud), hail, wind damage and flooding.
     Tips for providing accurate reports were also given at the training, such as guides for estimating wind speed based on damage being done to trees or property, relating hail size in inches or related to ball-shaped objects and recognizing the difference between a gustnado (a small, short-lived, low level vortex) and a tornado.
     Smith also emphasized safety for spotters when out in the field. He exhorted them to keep alert to developing storms and their movement, always have an escape route, stay in their cars, not to hide under overpasses and to drive safely and obey traffic laws.
     "We don't want you to race out there to your storm spotting location and get in trouble with the law," he said.
     Smith said that last year was a below normal year for severe weather in the area his office covers, with only 22 tornadoes touching down. He said 50 tornadoes a year is the average.
     As for how busy severe weather will keep spotters in the upcoming storm season, Smith said it was too early to tell as the outlook for April to June of 2007 had equal chances of being either warmer or colder than normal.
     "Maybe we'll have a normal severe weather season and maybe we won't," Smith said.