The National Weather Service is hosting a virtual online river ice spotter training course from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. today. It is free and open to the public.

The course is a collaboration between the NWS offices in Burlington, Vermont; Gray, Maine; and Caribou, Maine, as well as the Northeast River Forecasting Center. People can sign up at tinyurl.com/5n79u74m. There is no advanced deadline to register, according to NWS Burlington Meteorologist Eric Myskowski.

“You can sign up right until it starts,” he said. “There are no cutoffs or deadlines.”

The course covers the science of river ice, including how it forms, behaves during its formation, how it breaks up and what impacts it can have when it does so — such as ice jams, according to Myskowski. He added that the course is geared toward the general public, and that the NWS is always looking for more spotters.

“It’s important to have accurate observations in all of these areas, especially more rural areas,” he said.

Myskowski said people do not need previous experience with or specialized backgrounds in meteorology or hydrology to get something out of the class. The knowledge conveyed will allow members of the public to potentially play a pivotal role in contributing to the NWS’s efforts to monitor river ice in the region.

In addition to the science behind river ice, Myskowski said the said the course will go over what people should be on the lookout for, how they should formulate their reports and how to submit them to the NWS.

Having a larger network of reports helps the NWS to provide more accurate river ice forecasts, potentially saving lives and property through issuing forecasts and alerts that are informed by such observations.

People with questions about the course can call the NWS’s Burlington office — which serves the Tri-Lakes region — at 802-862-2475 or by email at btv.webmaster@noaa.gov.