 Well, Severe Weather Awareness Week and the Beltrami County Emergency Management Division is holding classes to teach people how to identify different types of storms. As Mel Meyer reports from Poposki, some locals think they have what it takes to become storm chasers. Lightning, hail, tornadoes. The storms can move so quickly, leaving incredible damage in their way. The nearest Doppler radar sites are near Grand Forks and Duluth, meaning an accurate forecast for the area is just out of reach, which is why Beltrami County Emergency Management is helping the public become sky-warned certified. Be the eyes and ears for the National Weather Service and assist them in their warning decision process. During the free two-hour-long classes, the participants will learn about a variety of storm-watching lingo. What an updraft is, what a downdraft is, what the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado is, and what the different features of the storm indicate and what to look for. Most of the participants have yet to see a tornado in their own backyard. I'm not right around here. I haven't. I've seen a couple in southern Minnesota. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Well, you just never know when storms are going to strike. I mean, it's better to be prepared than to just hope it doesn't happen, you know. The more people who take the training, the more people that can be alerted when disaster strikes. It's one of the reasons why Ryan Benson wanted to get certified. There's not really very many of us up in this area that can look for this kind of stuff, and we're always on call anyways. So if we have some bad weather, it's something else we can do to help the community. Class participants will be getting a certification card that they can bring out with them the next time they're chasing storms. In Poposki, I'm Mel Meyer, Lakeland News. The next class will be held in Bemidji at the Law Enforcement Center on Thursday night at 7. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.