Lets face it, our weather is pretty mild here compared to the rest of the country. The northern states get feet and feet of snow, the Midwest is famous for tornadoes and large hail, and the Gulf and East coasts get pummeled by hurricanes every year. That’s not to say we don’t get severe weather and shouldn’t be prepared, especially for those who live in the eastern half of the county. Because of this, I would like to encourage everyone to become a Skywarn spotter for the National Weather Service, as we may be called upon to provide additional real-time weather updates to both the Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management and the NWS Portland office.
The NWS Portland office just released their 2018 training schedule, and while there isn’t an in-person training opportunity yet in Multnomah County, there is an online Skywarn webinar on May 2 from 18:00-19:00. For more information or to sign up, go to the Weather Spotter Training page on the NWS website. There is also a class in Washington County scheduled for Monday, May 14, and I will advertise additional classes as they become available.