National Weather Service Of Duluth Hosting Free Spring Spotter Classes

Do you have a passion for all things weather? Here's a little side gig for you: the National Weather Service of Duluth is hosting free spotter training courses!

Should you take part in a course, one thing is for sure: you will never be bored! Weather in the Duluth area is anything but boring. Just this month alone is proof of that with some spring days and some major winter weather systems.

In fact, you will most likely always be on your toes in the best way. Will ice out happen in Northland lakes before fishing opener? Will it snow in May? The list of things that could happen goes on and on.

Summer and fall bring their own weather events as well, with severe storms a common occurrence throughout the season. Severe summer storms bring hail and power outages at the very least.

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If all of these things excite you, you could become involved with one of the National Weather Service's spotter trainings! The NWS of Duluth office is hosting a handful for the remainder of the month through mid-May.

The classes will be a mix of virtual and in-person but each course will cover the same content for free! Each course lasts about an hour and a half and gives you the opportunity to learn about all things severe weather in the Northland.

You do have to register if you are taking one of the online courses and can do so as late as a few minutes into the course itself. If you opt to take an in-person class, you don't have to register and can simply show up.

It should also be noted that if you have taken a spotter course in the past, it is beneficial to take another! According to NWS of Duluth, spotters are asked to take this training course at least every four years at the least to keep the information fresh.

Want to attend? Here is the spotter training schedule as it stands now:

• Wednesday, April 20th at 6:30 p.m. in Tamarack
• Monday, April 25th at 6:30 p.m. online
• Monday, April 25th at 6:30 p.m. in Mountain Iron
• Wednesday, April 27th at 6:00 p.m in Palisade
• Wednesday, April 27th at 6:30 p.m. in Washburn, Wisconsin
• Tuesday, May 10th at 6:30 p.m. online

There are also two advanced virtual classes that you can take, but only if you take one of the basic spotter classes first. Those advanced courses take place virtually on the following dates:

• Wednesday, May 11th at 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 12th at 11:00 a.m.

If you have any questions about any of the courses, you can reach out to the National Weather Service of Duluth directly at 218-729-6697.

If you're interested, you better hop on one of these courses so you can become a weather spotter! Like I said, you will never be bored.

In the meantime, keep an eye on our forecast. Eventually, the snow will melt and it is best to mitigate the impacts of flooding when we finally do see spring for good. An easy way to do this is to remove snow from storm drains or report it if you aren't able to do it yourself.