Tt post jan 26 2016 about nws offices and weather - proposed comment

Det/Pon NWS lists their 2016 Skywarn training sessions on their calendar. Here are a few Skywarn classes, scheduled closer to Toledo:

• Ann Arbor - 1:00 p.m. on Wed, Mar 23
• Monroe - 7:00 p.m. on Mon, Apr 4
• Adrian - 7:00 p.m. on Wed, Apr 13

http://www.weather.gov/dtx/skywarn

You might supplement your classwork with an online course in SKYWARN Spotter Training. It requires creating an account.

I also did not see any schedule from the Cle NWS, which states

We plan to return to normal Skywarn training sessions in 2016. The schedule for the 2016 season will be posted in late winter.

The three regional National Weather Service offices that cover the Toledo area include:

• Cleveland
  • Lucas, Ottawa, Wood
  • http://www.weather.gov/cle
• Northern Indiana
  • Fulton, Henry
  • http://www.weather.gov/iwx
• Detroit/Pontiac
  • Lenawee, Monroe
  • http://www.weather.gov/dtx

Long ago, Toledo's forecast originated from its own NWS office, located at Express Airport. - [ not quite - Dec 28, 1987 Toledo Blade story titled Better Radar Could Cost Toledo Weather Station ]

But around 25 years ago, the government closed a lot of offices because of the newly installed Doppler radar system.

JustaSooner has discussed the problems with this setup for Toledo, regarding radar, etc. At times, it "seems" that the Cle NWS forgets about Toledo when significant weather is occurring.

Many times, I have to read the Area Forecast Discussions from Det/Pon and N. IN. to get some info about the Toledo area because the Cle NWS was focused on northeast Ohio and northwest PA.

Shallow western basin of Lake Erie. Large-ish river in low, flat land that is prone to flooding. I-75 and the turnpike. Good-sized population. I'm sure we're not unique, but it's odd that we must rely on three different offices for information about imminent weather.

#toledo #weather