SASKATOON – A course being held Thursday evening aims to educate the public about severe weather. Environment Canada is holding a storm spotter/safety training course at the Saskatoon Fire Department training centre at 116 Ave. W South.
“The course will be mostly for Ham radio operators, but anyone who wants to attend is invited,” said John Paul Cragg from Environment Canada.
Cragg added the course will be offered during the daytime for city workers.
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Global Saskatoon Meteorologist Peter Quinlan will be in attendance at the session. He says it is extremely important to have people trained not only for public safety, but also for increasing coverage and warning accuracy in a province as vast as Saskatchewan.
“Having people trained in storm spotting improves the lead time meteorologists have to warn the public about potentially life threatening weather,” said Quinlan.
“By being trained by an expert in the field gives you the opportunity to potentially save lives and it is crucial that we have as many people as possible with their eyes to the sky that we can trust for accurate information. Storm spotters are often our primary point of contact for gathering information in summer storm season.
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“When it comes to tornadoes, radar only gives part of the picture, we need people who are trained on the ground to be able to confirm what’s going on and help improve warnings and accuracy,” added Quinlan.
The course takes place between 7 and 10 p.m.
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