By Robert Barron, Staff Writer
Enid News and Eagle
ENID — Storm spotters are pretty important in Oklahoma this time of year, and storm spotter schools help prepare them for what nature may be planning.
Spotters have to recognize storm structures, updrafts and downdrafts. Spotters must know how to recognize a storm and tell what is happening on the ground, often amid torrential rainfall, hail and wind that nearly blows their vehicles off the road.
On Tuesday, Mike Honigsberg, director of Enid and Garfield County Emergency Management, held his annual class at Autry Technology Center as part of a continuing education program for area storm spotters. Meteorologist Patrick Burke, of the National Weather Service, spoke to an audience of 123.
“We want them to do it safely, so they know how to recognize cloud features and observe safely,” Burke said.
Being a storm spotter is highly dependent on roads for access to good locations to safely observe a storm. Burke recommended a distance of at least a mile from the base of a storm and told spotters to have a safe escape route.
When determining whether to report a storm, there are a number of criteria to judge, he said. Sighting of a tornado, a funnel cloud, rotating wall cloud or flash flooding are considered urgent priorities.
Hail 3/4-inch diameter or larger, wind speed greater than 58 mph, persistent non-rotating wall cloud or rainfall one inch or more per hour are high priorities.
Half-inch hail, wind 40 mph and cloud features suggesting storm organization are lower priority.
Storm spotters especially are vulnerable to lightning, which is present in all storms and a significant threat to life, Burke said. He cautioned spotters to make sure they are not the tallest object around and to remain in a vehicle or indoors when possible. While hail is the most destructive element associated with storms, it rarely causes fatalities. Flying debris also is a major cause of injuries and fatalities. If a storm produces a tornado, it probably will produce large hail, according to a storm spotters guide published by National Weather Service.
