Scattered damaging winds and a couple tornadoes are possible on Saturday from parts of Ohio into northern West Virginia/Maryland, central and western Pennsylvania, and western New York. The thunderstorm threat will move into the Northeast on Sunday. Prolonged heat will continue across the Southern Plains this weekend and into next week. Read More >
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Latest News!
Updated: 2/15/24:
Online SKYWARN Spotter Classes
We offer sets of ONLINE Basic Spotter Courses and a single Advanced Spotter Course each year, usually around March and November. These online classes are FREE, and allow individuals to complete the course(s) in the comfort of their own home or office using GoToMeeting. By attending any course, which runs about 2 hours, an individual (or a group of individuals) will become a SKYWARN Spotter(s). To see when these classes will be held, scroll down or click here.
Unless you'd like to or are in need of a refresher (which we recommend), you do not have to attend more than one Basic SKYWARN Course, as the material covered is the same; however, we require you to attend at least one Basic SKYWARN Course before taking the Advanced SKYWARN Course. These courses are two-way, meaning you will be able to interact with the meteorologist leading the training. You will be muted while training is in-progress, but you may use the built-in chat feature to ask questions.
If you would like to review our spotter training at any time, recorded versions are available below!
How to Attend an Online SKYWARN Spotter Class
To avoid being hurried, give yourself at least 15 minutes prior to
the start of the class to complete the following:
Steps:
Via the schedule below, register by clicking the link
corresponding to the class you'd like to attend.
Select the 'join webinar' button on the registration page or
in your confirmation email and follow the prompts.
Enjoy the class and ask questions.
Additional SKYWARN Learning Material
Though not a requirement, as a warm up to the spotter classes, NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge would like those who plan on attending the online classes, or even our locally scheduled classes, to view the following FREE online training modules:
| The "Role of the SKYWARN® Spotter" module is used to provide baseline training for all spotters through multiple scenarios covering the procedures for spotting (including communication and storm report criteria), safety considerations for all hazards, and an overview of the national program and its history. | The "SKYWARN® Spotter Convective Basics" module will guide users to a basic understanding of convective storms. Through three different scenarios, you will cover reporting and proper communication of local storm reports to the National Weather Service (NWS), personal safety during these events, and field identification of convective storm hazards. After completing the scenarios, you will be given the opportunity to practice identifying storm features from a spectrum of photos. |
NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge Annual SKYWARN Newsletters:
2022 Edition (Released 12/2/21)
2023 Edition (Released 12/16/22)
2024 Edition (Released 12/18/2023)
Your Latest SKYWARN Spotter Class Schedule
| Online Classes | ||
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Date/Time |
Class |
Class Registration Link |
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TBD means To Be Determined.
Classes are ~2 to 3 hours long unless otherwise indicated. All times are Central unless otherwise noted. |
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On-site Classes |
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Date/Time |
Class |
County |
Location |
18333 Hwy 603 Kiln Ms 39556 |
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TBD means To Be Determined. |
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2022 Basic SKYWARN Recording: |
https://youtu.be/0MTt5rRwIwo |
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2022 Advanced SKYWARN Recording: |
https://youtu.be/MpH47OUndCA |
SKYWARN Facts
SKYWARN is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer weather spotters. Storm spotters come from many walks of life, including fire fighters, law enforcement, amateur radio operators, and the public. SKYWARN storm spotters provide important ground truth information to NWS warning forecasters who make critical warning decisions during severe weather, and help the NWS perform its primary mission to save lives and property.
Note: This is not storm chaser training. A storm spotter is a volunteer service that is conducted primarily from fixed locations such as from home, work, or around your community. The National Weather Service does not endorse or encourage the use of storm spotter training for storm chasing.
SKYWARN name and logo are trademarked: SKYWARN® is a registered trademark of NOAA's National Weather Service. Please read the rules for the usage of the SKYWARN® name and logo.
Spotter Information:
Additional Links​
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