Storm Spotter Training to resume following government reopening

(TULSA, Okla.) Storm Spotter Training classes are back on following the government reopening January 25- but you might want to sign up while you can. Classes will not be held while the government is shutdown, a possibility that could occur again on February 15. Three classes in January were postponed or canceled due to the shutdown, including one for Tulsa County in Sand Springs originally scheduled for January 30. That one has been postponed for February 27. Oklahoma’s next four Storm Spotter Training classes are as follows: February 5: Pittsburg County in McAlester at the Pittsburg County EOC at 7 p.m. February 7: Pushmataha County in Antlers at the Choctaw Nation Community Center at 6 p.m. February 9: Rogers County in Claremore at the County Courthouse at 9 a.m. February 12: Franklin County in Ozark at Arkansas Tech University at 6:30 p.m. In an interview with CBS that aired on Sunday, President Donald Trump said he’s not opposed to another government shutdown on February 15 if Congress does not approve $5.7 billion in funding for his proposed border wall. He also put the idea of declaring a national emergency to get funding on the table. Storm Spotter Training Classes are free and no preregistration is required. According to the National Weather Service, these “trained and dedicated individuals monitor the skies around their communities during severe weather events” and “provide first-hand severe weather reports to their local officials, and to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, which are used to make critical warning decisions.” Nineteen more classes are scheduled after February 15. You can find the current list of Storm Spotter Training offerings here: https://www.weather.gov/tsa/spotter_training