Skywarn training session well attended

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

While tornadoes aren’t the only kind of spring storms, history shows Van Wert County is prone to twisters. In fact, National Weather Service records dating back to 1950 show the county has had 39 tornadoes of varying strength. 34 of those tornadoes have occurred since 1990, while the overall total of 39 ties Van Wert County with Franklin and Miami counties for the most recorded tornadoes in the state since 1950.

With that in mind, more than 80 individuals from area fire departments, law enforcement, amateur radio operators and the general public gathered in the First Federal Lecture Hall at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert Monday night for a Skywarn severe weather spotter class. The well attended class was sponsored by the Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency.

Chris Roller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Northern Indiana presented a two-hour course to area spotters to prepare them for identifying storm development, what to look for, and how to relay reports to the local EMA Office and the National Weather Service. He also covered topics such as severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, tornado watches and warnings and the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speeds and related damage.

“With an active severe weather season being anticipated, having a good spotter network is very important for getting ground truth information on what is occurring in the county such as hail, damaging winds, flooding and tornadoes, Van Wert County EMA Director Rick McCoy said. “As the severe weather season begins to kick into full gear, these individuals are the backbone of the emergency management operation of making local decisions on severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, and getting adequate and timely information to Van Wert County citizens.”

“I was very pleased with the local turnout,” McCoy added.

A list of the known tornadoes in Van Wert County can be found in a story below.