National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms and Heavy Rainfall in the Central and Southern Plains

Severe thunderstorms capable of very large hail, damaging wind gusts, and a few tornadoes are possible today across parts of the central and southern Plains. Heavy rain will pose a threat for flash flooding across portions of central and coastal Texas. Thunderstorms may also cause isolated wind damage across the Southeast. Read More >

The National Weather Service relies on trained volunteers to supplement doppler radar information on severe storms and tornadoes. These dedicated individuals volunteer their time to learn about and detect severe weather. Their valuable cooperation is important in the warning process. Weather reports from trained spotters are used along with doppler radar data to issue warnings of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods.

This spring, we are providing a series of videos highlighting all aspects of the spotter training. The video series will be released through late April and May.

Part 1: An Introduction to Our Local Spotter Training Program
Part 2: Communications
Part 3: Identifying Severe Thunderstorms
Part 4: Wind and Hail
Part 5: Tornadoes 
Part 6: Flooding and Lightning
Part 7: Reporting

If you have any questions or if you have a group or community interested in Online Spotter Training Session this spring, please
Click Here to E-mail Our Coordinator.

If you are new to the network and want to sign up, please click here to sign up. Once you fill out the registration form, we will reach out to you with more information on how to contact us directly.