How to help the National Weather Service

Floods, dust storms and strong winds make forecasting the weather in Southern Colorado a tough job.

You may not be a meteorologist but you can still help forecasters by signing up to become a weather observer.

The National Weather Service is hostingclasses on how to become a weather observer through April and May around the area.

With all of the sophisticated technology thatthe Weather Service has at its disposal why they would need weather observers.

Jennifer Stark is the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service office in Pueblo. She said, “while we do have great technology,satellites and radar information, that doesn’t tell us what’s happening on the ground at people’s homes.”

Stark saidthat people are more likely to respond to warnings that are issued if they have reports from observers in them.

If you miss Monday’s class, the others will bein Eads, Pueblo, Pueblo West, Falcon, Alamosa and Westcliffe.