Spotter Classes Scheduled Across South Central Nebraska

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The National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska is teaming up with local Emergency Management agencies across south central Nebraska and north central Kansas to host a series of free storm spotter training classes starting in March. The classes will cover a variety of topics related to severe weather preparedness, including how to identify real weather reports versus fake ones generated by AI.

Why it matters

As the spring storm season approaches, these spotter training classes provide an important opportunity for the public to learn how to identify and report severe weather, which helps the National Weather Service issue more accurate and timely warnings. With the growing problem of fake weather reports, the classes will also teach attendees how to distinguish real weather data from AI-generated fakes.

The details

The spotter training classes will be led by meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Hastings and will cover topics such as the anatomy of microbursts, storm spotting techniques, and weather preparedness. The presentations will also address the issue of fake weather reports generated by artificial intelligence, and teach attendees how to verify the authenticity of weather data and images. The classes are free and open to the public, typically lasting 60-90 minutes.

• The first class will be held on Tuesday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. in Mankato.
• The second class will be held on Thursday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. in Superior.
• The third class will be held on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. in Red Cloud.

What’s next

In the event of severe spring or winter weather, the NWS reserves the right to postpone or cancel any of the scheduled presentations in the interest of public safety.