Storm Spotters Needed

The County of San Diego is in the process of becoming certified as a StormReady County. This means that the County has taken steps to assure that when severe storms and storm-related disasters occur, the County will be prepared to respond to the event.

One of the requirements of the program is for the County to be actively engaged in soliciting for County workers to help be the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service so they can issue timely weather warnings. These people are called Storm Spotters.

Storm Spotters are volunteers who observe the weather in their town or workplace, and report their observations to the National Weather Service (NWS). Storm Spotters serve as the eyes and ears of the NWS on the ground and are important because the information they provide helps the NWS spot hazardous weather conditions and allows it to quickly issue severe weather warnings. The Storm Spotter program is a volunteer -- not a required -- County activity. Participation in the program will help the NWS to issue more timely warnings to county residents.

Storm Spotters are asked to report on:

   · Rainfall (amounts and intensity)

   · Flooding (location and depth)

   · High winds (30 mph or greater)

   · Fog (when visibility is near zero)

   · Any weather related damage

If you are interested in becoming a Storm Spotter, the County will be hosting one or more free Storm Spotter Training Classes put on by the NWS. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rand Allan with the Flood Control office at (858) 495-5557 or email him at rand.allan@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Once a sufficient number of people have show an interest in attending, Allan will contact Storm Spotter candidates with training dates and times. Additional information about the Storm Spotter program can be found here.