Matt Zika, warning coordination meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Marquette, teaches attendees how to read Doppler radar images during a presentation on storm spotter training in the Peter White Public Library’s Shiras Room Wednesday evening. (Journal photo by Corey Kelly)

MARQUETTE — Weather enthusiasts gathered for Skywarn storm spotter training in the Peter White Public Library’s Shiras Room Wednesday evening.

Matt Zika, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service station in Negaunee Township, gave a presentation at the Marquette library about past severe weather events, different cloud types, basic meteorology, local weather trends and ways to report weather conditions.

“Hopefully this gets folks engaged and involved in reporting weather to us at the weather service because that plays a key role in us issuing our weather warnings and helps us issue better weather warnings,” Zika said. “People respond better to those weather warnings when they have information that is coming in from the weather spotters from across the U.P.”

Satellite and radar technology have limitations, Zika said, and real-time on-the-ground reports enhance the forecast process and help create a full picture of weather conditions.

“There’s never a time where we are going to say ‘I’m glad I didn’t receive that information,'” Zika said. “We’d rather hear the same thing over and over again, and hear of things that are occurring, versus people just assuming that somebody else just reported it.”

While Zika encouraged participation, he strongly emphasized safety, warning attendees not to put themselves in dangerous situations.

“Let the weather come to you,” Zika said.

Spotters can send weather reports to the NWS in several ways: by telephone, 1-800-828-8002; online at weather.gov/mqt; via Facebook, NWS Marquette; on mPING app; via Twitter, @NWSMarquette; and by ham radio, WX8MQT.

Corey Kelly can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 243.