Chandler to host Storm Spotters class
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

The Storm Spotters class, a class designed to teach its students how to identify certain weather events, will be hosted at the Chandler Community Center on March 27 at 6:30 pm. The class will be taught by Gary Woodall, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Woodall said the class will involve him talking about thunderstorms and how they behave.

"I'll be showing people how to read natural clues about thunderstorms," Woodall said. "I'll also be showing pictures and video samples."

Anyone interested in becoming a storm spotter or simply learning new things is welcome to attend.

Joy Kimbrough, emergency management coordinator for Henderson County, said the class is a free public service provided by the National Weather Service.

"Oftentimes information from the weather service is delayed," Kimbrough said about the necessity of Storm Spotters in communities. "What's going on in the east side of the county may be different from what's going on in the west side."

Kimbrough added that Storm Spotters are local citizens who gather information to help the National Weather Service collect data on storms. The resulting data helps the weather service warn communities of incoming danger.

The class will last from two hours to two and a half hours, depending on how many questions Woodall gets from those in attendance.

People from all age groups are invited to attend, not just adults.

"Some of our best Storm Spotters have been nine and 10 year olds," Kimbrough said. "They're very interested in this type of information."

Kimbrough also said as far as she can remember, this is the first time a Storm Spotter class has been held in the Chandler area.

Woodall, the class teacher, is an experienced meteorologist and has taught many such classes before.

"I teach about 40-45 classes a year," Woodall said. "This is my eighth year at Fort Worth, and my 13th teaching these classes."

Woodall also said the Storm Spotters program is an important one.

"What we have is electronic data," Woodall said. "It only tells part of the story. Combined with Storm Spotters, we can put more confidence in our decisions."

Woodall added those who attend his class will learn a great deal about storms and will be more prepared to face them.