NOAA seeks storm watchers
Storm agencies are calling for volunteer weather spotters in Goldendale and surrounding areas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said this week it will hold a training session Thursday, June 5 at the Klickitat PUD.
Watchers are “key volunteers who assist the meteorologists by providing up-to-date information about storm activity” and make up the National Weather Service (NWS).
Officials say even though the Doppler weather radar is scanning the skies and the NOAA Weather Radio is broadcasting warnings, forecasters depend on good ground truth information from trained Skywarn weather spotters.
“Skywarn volunteers are not storm chasers, although many Skywarn members, both local and nationwide, may chase storms on their own time,” said Dennis Hull, NOAA NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the forecast office in Pendleton, in a written statement. “The Weather Service does not encourage storm chasing because it is very dangerous.
“The safety of all Skywarn spotters is a high priority.”
Skywarn members learn weather spotting and how to report findings in a timely manner using the phone, amateur radio, or Internet.
The training Thursday will be a two-hour session to learn how to observe cloud formations and other weather in Klickitat County. The Weather Service teaches how to determine which storms are potentially severe.
Spotters use a special toll free number, amateur radio frequency, or Internet address to let forecasters at the NOAA National Weather Service office in Pendleton know what is happening in their area. Meteorologists use this data as they issue severe weather warnings or statements to the residents of Klickitat County.
Hull said the Skywarn was a concept developed in the early 1970s intended to promote a cooperative effort between the NWS and communities.
The emphasis of the effort is often focused on the storm spotter, an individual who takes a position near their community and reports wind gusts, hail size, rainfall, and cloud formations that could signal a developing tornado.
Thursday’s training is free and will begin at 7 p.m.
McComas first KC sheriff to complete special training
Rick McComas has become the first sheriff from Klickitat County to graduate from the National Sheriffs’ Institute (NSI), an elite officer training program in Colorado.
The sheriff participated in the 94th NSI session in April in Longmont, where he joined 27 other sheriffs from across the country.
The law enforcement officials address various issues facing officers today, as well as homeland security, school violence, court security, leadership, drugs, disaster relief, jail operations and community relations.
“Sheriff McComas is a leader with vision for the Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office,” said Fred Wilson, National Sheriff’s Association (NSA) Director of Operations.
Wilson, along with Jim Barbee, Correctional Program Specialist for the National Institute of Corrections, (NIC) awarded McComas his degree of completion.
NSI is the only national executive development program designed for sheriffs.
Outdoor education for county students through Pathfinder
Klickitat County students in grades seven to 10 have a new outdoor opportunity. The Goldendale School District has agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for the recently awarded $100,000 project of Pathfinder Outdoor Adventures.
The two night-three day camp at Brooks Park Environmental Learning Center is part of the national No Child Left Inside project. The grant will provide four sessions during the next school year with the focus on math and science. The other focus of Pathfinder Outdoor Adventures is to learn about new recreation opportunities right here in Klickitat County’s wealth of Washington State Parks.
The third day of each Pathfinder session will provide students with one of six adventures to the following local state parks. Brooks Memorial Park, Maryhill State Park, Goldendale Observatory, Columbia Hills State Park-Horsethief Lake and Klickitat Trail. These recreation field trips will include camping skills, hiking, petroglyph , naturalist hikes, salmon habitat restoration projects, canoeing, fishing, and other park activities.
The Pathfinder Outdoor Adventure program is made possible by a long list partners who volunteer their time, resources, and matching grant funds. More volunteers and support is needed. Volunteers and donors can contact Laurie Wilhite at 773-5846.
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