As hurricane season approaches, learn from a National Weather Service meteorologist how to spot severe weather and how to report sightings to the National Weather Service. During the free, one-day course April 25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Gulf Coast Safety Institute, participants will discover how to determine the potential severity of storms by their appearance.

This course allows businesses, industries and individuals to add another tool to their emergency action plan.

Participants will learn the basic science of hurricanes and the different hazards they bring to the Texas Coast, including high winds, storm surge, flooding and tornadoes.

The course will cover the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, which ranks hurricanes in categories one through five, and its related communication challenges. It will also discuss National Weather Service products, which are designed to communicate threats.

Dan Reilly, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston, teaches this class.

To register for this free class, visit www.com.edu/gcsi or call 409-933-8365.

The Gulf Coast Safety Institute is located at College of the Mainland. Established in 2007, the institute focuses on providing safety and health education, training and outreach. For more information on the institute, contact Lewis at 409-933-8495 or clewis1@com.edu or visit www.com.edu/gcsi.