OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Attention weather obsessives, armchair meteorologists and aspiring storm chasers: the Jacksonville office of the National Weather Service and Marion County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management are hosting a free SKYWARN Weather Spotter Workshop tonight, Monday, March 2, 2026, at the MSCO Emergency Operations Center at 698 NW 30th Ave. in Ocala.
Initiated in the 1970s, SKYWARN is a volunteer program that trains individuals–from first responders and school administrators to concerned private citizens–in the basics of recognizing, identifying and reporting the development of severe weather conditions. While trained spotters provide information on all sorts of potentially dangerous weather patterns, their focus is on reporting severe local thunderstorms, an area of particular interest to residents of the 352 and the Sunshine State at large.
Training typically lasts around two hours and are usually held in a typically slow time of year for severe weather.
What you’ll learn:
- Basics of thunderstorm development
- Fundamentals of storm structure
- Identifying potential severe weather features
- Information to report
- How to report information
- Basic severe weather safety
“The information provided by SKYWARN spotters, coupled with Doppler radar technology, improved satellite and other data, has enabled NWS to issue more timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods,” read an announcement. “SKYWARN storm spotters form the nation’s first line of defense against severe weather. There can be no finer reward than to know that your efforts have given your family and neighbors the precious gift of time–minutes that can help save lives.”
Monday’s training runs from 6-8 p.m. Interested parties can register online here or by calling 352-369-8100.