For More Information Contact:
Colleen Pillus
845-486-2000
E-mail: cpillus@dutchessny.gov
Heavy snow, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, and flooding impacts Dutchess County every year. During such significant storms and severe weather events, the National Weather Service (NWS) relies on a trained network of volunteer Skywarn™ spotters to correlate what is seen on radar to what is occurring, help warn downstream communities, and verify or improve forecasts and warnings. Dutchess County residents can receive this valuable training from NWS on Thursday, November 1st from 7-9 p.m. at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, located at 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie. There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required and is available online.
The staff at the NWS Forecast Office in Albany are responsible for issuing local forecasts and severe weather warnings for much of eastern New York, southern Vermont, the Berkshires of western Massachusetts and Litchfield County, CT. Skywarn™ spotters act as the eyes and ears helping to provide better services. This session will teach participants the basics of thunderstorm development, fundamentals of storm structure, identifying potential severe weather features, how to report information, and more.
For more information, visit the Skywarn™ program online, or contact the Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response at (845) 486-2080.