By PETER DAY
Senior Reporter
When the next flash flood or surprise snowfall hits Lucerne Valley, a newly equipped team will be ready.
Late last month, several Lucerne Valley residents — most were members of the Lucerne Valley Community Emergency Response Team — converged on the Lucerne Valley Community Center. There, the group took a two-hour class to officially prepare them for becoming National Weather Service weather spotters. They were taught by meteorologist Jimmy Taeger and expert James Brotherton who are based at the National Weather Service's San Diego office.
Utilizing the Skywarn program, the group were taught how to report on a variety of significant or severe weather such as flooding, severe thunderstorms, high winds, hail and heavy snow. While those who took the course will surely report on local weather, they are now equipped for reporting and notable weather events anywhere in the country. If they witness a tornado while on vacation, they can call it in, for instance. Weather spotters are not chasing storms, rather they are just reporting on weather as it occurs.
Spotters report any severe weather to their Skywarn Emergency Coordinator, Skywarn Net Amateur Radio Controller or directly to the NWS. They are also encouraged to use social media such as Facebook or Twitter. Photos are encouraged.
To submit a report, official weather spotters call a private number to give a report or file a report on an online form. There also is an amateur radio network that may be activated during weather emergencies.
The National Weather Service provides weather-related warnings for the United States. For more information, visit www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream.