LANSING, Mich — Neighbors at LCC are stepping up as the "eyes and ears" for the National Weather Service through a training program called SKYWARN.
- SKYWARN training teaches residents to identify and report severe weather.
- Spotters provide on-the-ground confirmation to supplement weather radar.
- The free training helps meteorologists issue more accurate warnings.
This year, storms have hit neighborhoods hard, from tornadoes to heavy rainfall. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, along with trained weather spotters, have played a big role in keeping neighbors safe. The SKYWARN training is free for anyone, and it turns local residents into a massive help for professional meteorologists.
WATCH: Lansing area neighbors step up as eyes and ears for the National Weather Service
"Weather spotters are a critically important piece of the warning puzzle for the national weather service," Jim Maczko said.
Maczko is the warning coordination meteorologist for NWS Grand Rapids. He said their high-tech tools only show part of the story, and spotter information can be used to better warn neighbors of incoming weather.
"The radar is a tool that tells us what’s happening in the sky, weather spotters provide us the valuable tool of what’s happening on the ground," Maczko said.
"Having confirmation on the ground that weather spotters provide, give us a part of our warnings, which is valuable for folks to take the proper action for safety as warnings approach," Maczko said.
Randy Williams is an assistant coordinator for the Amateur Radio Public Service Corps in Ingham County. He participates in and helps coordinate SKYWARN training, which teaches neighbors how to identify weather and communicate with the weather service.
"We'll find the weather fascinating, I’m a self declared weather nerd," Williams said.
"It’s a neat way to serve the community. We organize the SKYWARN group here in Ingham county. We help funnel reports to the national weather service," Williams said.
Neighbors in Ingham County are continuing to play their part in the puzzle, reporting weather before, during and after storms hit.
"Trees down, High Winds, hail – hail is a big one, they really do want to know about hail," Williams said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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