Additional weather spotters may be needed in parts of county

By noon Tuesday the temperature in Watertown had dropped 50 degrees in less than 24 hours, underscoring the volatility of the weather in the northern plains of the United States.

Although tornadoes in Codington County are rare, they do occur and severe thunderstorms can bring heavy damage. The 2022 derecho that hit 28 eastern South Dakota counties, including Codington, resulted a billion dollars in damage, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Weather spotters play an important role in determining a storm’s severity and direction. Citizens willing to travel into storm areas can join law enforcement personnel in the tracking potential dangers.

During Tuesday’s Codington County Board of Commissioners meeting, Emergency Management Director Andrew Delgado said the county has a good corps of spotters but more are needed in the Waverly, South Shore and Kranzburg areas.

Training is necessary to become a weather spotter, and March 27 and 28 classes will be offered at the Codington County Extension Complex. The 27th class runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the next day’s session is 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. There is no charge to attend and the classes are open to the public.

Sheriff Brad Howell told commissioners one of his deputies is nearing completion of the rigorous Drug Recognition Expert training. The program requires two weeks of classroom and a final test followed by making 12 drug evaluations while working one week alongside a police officer in a major U.S. city. Howell said his deputy will spend his week in Phoenix.

“He’ll be a great resource to the county,” said Commissioner Troy VanDusen, a former officer with the Watertown Police with knowledge of the DRE program. “It’s a very difficult course.”

Howell reported that the county detention center had an averaged 53.23 inmates per day during January, the lowest number since last May. Another 108 convicted individuals were not incarcerated but being monitored daily by various means.

The sheriff’s office dealt with 521 cases and calls in January, the fewest since March of last year. Deputies investigated 18 accidents, handed out 70 warrants and served 304 civil papers.

Commissioners approved a new evidence locker for the sheriff’s office. The $5,250 purchase from Pivotal Health Solutions of Watertown is 34 inches wide, 92 inches tall and 24 inches deep.

The commissioners approved a $7,096.12 property tax abatement. The applicant’s property was supposed to be tax exempt but an error occurred. The City of Watertown had previously approved the abatement.The Watertown Area Home Builders Association requested and received permission to serve alcohol during a private social event for vendors following their annual home show March 9-10 at the county’s Extension Complex.

And the commissioners noted that the annual Towns and Townships’ weed board meeting and soup and supper will start at 6 p.m. March 4 at the Extension Complex.

— J.T. Fey is a freelance reporter for the Watertown Public Opinion.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Additional weather spotters may be needed in parts of county