BERRIEN SPRINGS — The Berrien County Office of Emergency Management will host a Skywarn Storm Spotter Training, delivered in partnership with the National Weather Service, Northern Indiana Office.

The program will take place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, at Andrew’s University, Chan Shun Hall, 4185 E. Campus Circle Dr. Berrien Springs. This event is free and open to the public.

To register, visit berrienmispotter.eventzilla.net.

“The storm spotter seminar is one of our most popular training events and seats run out quickly,” said Captain Rockey Adams, of the Berrien County Emergency Management Office.  “Attendees learn a lot about severe weather, the tools used to track it, and what to report to authorities. Spotter information is used to warn others in the community of weather threats.  Your storm reports can save lives.”

SKYWARN is a volunteer program with nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the NWS.  There are currently more than 330 active spotters registered in Berrien County.

Although SKYWARN spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN spotter is to safely identify and describe severe local storms. Since the program started in the 1970s, the information provided by SKYWARN spotters, coupled with advanced imagery, has enabled NWS to issue timely and accurate warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and floods.

For more information on the National Skywarn program, people can visit skywarn.org or bcsheriff.org.

If assistance is needed, call Gayle Bassett (269) 983-7111 x4915 or email gbassett@berriencounty.org

Skywarn and the Skywarn logo are registered trademarks of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, used with permission, officials said.