(Courtesy of Devin Stein)
VIRGINIA BEACH – Clouds come in all shapes, sizes and colors. Most are non-threatening – puffy and floating smoothly across a blue sky.
But some, National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Orrock said, are indicators of oncoming severe weather. In Skywarn classes, “spotters” can learn how to decipher the masses of water and ice droplets, recognize storm structures and help meteorologists track severe weather on the ground.
“We teach them how to identify what might be a tornado,” Orrock said. “We also teach them about how to communicate with us and how to call their reports in and how to let us know what’s going on that will help us fine tune our warnings.”
With Skywarn, everyday residents become valuable resources for meteorologists working to identify storms moving into and around the region.
When a tornado touched down in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach on March 31, Orrock said the first report of the funnel-shaped cloud came from a Skywarn spotter.
“He couldn’t yet see the tornado, but he was able to accurately describe the winds he was seeing,” Orrock said. “He was able to tell me about the kinds of debris in the air.”
Because radar shows what’s happening roughly 1,200 feet above the ground level in Virginia Beach, the spotter’s call enabled Orrock get a better understanding of what’s happening in those 1,200 feet below the radar image.
Teaching people how to spot severe weather bridges the gap between radar images and what Orrock calls “ground truth.”
“We’re always checking up on our warnings to track the weather and see if it’s doing what we think it’s doing,” Orrock said.
When storm spotters call in their reports, it also allows meteorologists to better alert residents of nearing severe weather.
The classes have been taught by the Wakefield NWS office for about 40 years. The technology used to identify the storms has drastically changed, Orrock said – much like the kind of technology residents use to send in pictures, videos and more of what they’re seeing.
“We get a lot of pictures and videos of what people experience and what the storms look like around here,” Orrock said. “Because of them, we can tell exactly what is occurring and where.”
Meteorologists Mike Montefusco and Steve Minnick will teach a Skywarn class on Tuesday, May 2, at the Fire Training Center located at 927 Birdneck Road. The class starts at 6:30 and runs for about two hours.
On Wednesday, May 3, another class will be held in Chesapeake at the Public Safety building located at 304 Albemarle Drive.
Residents can register for both classes online. Online training courses are also available.
