TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — With hurricane season approaching its peak, National Weather Service meteorologists across Florida are teaming up to help residents better understand tropical weather forecasts and prepare for storms.
The National Weather Service is offering free virtual training sessions aimed at teaching people about tropical weather forecast products and how to properly interpret them. The goal is to make forecast information “meaningful and actionable” so residents can make the best safety decisions when tropical weather hazards threaten.
The training is open to anyone, though it is tailored for Florida residents and references resources from the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Organizers said much of the material is still relevant for anyone living in the path of tropical cyclones.
The sessions run four days, from July 27 through July 30:
Day 1 – July 27: Getting Ready
Day 2 – July 28: Hunker Down
Day 3 – July 29: Post Storm Safety
Day 4 – July 30: Lessons Learned & Panel Discussion with NHC and FDEM
Three one-hour sessions will be held daily at 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CDT), 1 p.m. EDT (noon CDT) and 7 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. CDT).
Registration is required in advance, and up to 1,000 people can register for each session. After registering, attendees will receive an email summary that includes the Google Meet link for the sessions, and hosts will send reminder emails closer to the training week.
Because of the large number of attendees, participants will be muted during presentations. Attendees can submit questions through the Q&A section under “tools” during the session and can also post questions through a Google Form. Organizers said they will respond as soon as possible, either during the training week or afterward via email.
