Statewide, Iowa (RI) – After a record 125 tornadoes touched down in Iowa last year, the National Weather Service is making an urgent pitch to recruit more of the state’s residents to become trained severe weather spotters.
NWS meteorologist Brad Small says the first regional spotter training course of the year was held earlier this month and they’re planning 18 more around the state over the coming weeks.
Small says the free training courses used to start in March but they’ve decided to move them forward several weeks.
Other training sessions are planned through early April in: Algona, Leon, Corydon, Garwin, Des Moines, Winterset, Newton, Mason City, Denison, Carroll, Ottumwa, Atlantic, Lenox, Marshalltown, Sac City, Bremer County, and Estherville. See the full schedule at weather.gov/dmx
