Beginning October 1st of 2007 the National Weather Service will change the way they warn for severe weather. Instead of mentioning entire counties, warnings will target more specific locations. According to the Director of the National Weather Service:
“Storm-based warnings provide the public with more specific information about the location of severe weather and the direction it is expected to move. Seconds count during tornadoes and flash floods. We want to provide the public with the most accurate description of what’s happening in their neighborhood. We also want to avoid warning non-threatened portions of the county.”
When issuing a warning, the NOAA National Weather Service will specify areas within a county and refer to commonly known landmarks such as highways or rivers.
man where is everybody?ever since no snow in the forecast nobody is on here.So anway looks like a good chance of snow this friday or sat so what do yall think.also justin what do you think about this snow on fri,sat
Looks good to me anonymous. However moisture appears somewhat limited so it looks to not be a big
“accumulator” as of now. but it could very well bring us some measurable snow. BTW, better chance exists better for saturday than for friday though.
**Think this system for tornado warnings will put people’s trust back into tornado warnings. So many people are killed/injured because they are so used to having tornado warnings and nothing ever happening.
I think this will help out a lot. Now only the “at risk” people will know what’s heading their way instead of the whole county having to know. Good job guys.
Im thinking that this new storm-based warning system has its UPS and DOWNS.. Some of the UPS- you can pick out where you live and see if it is going to effect you. DOWNS- what if the tornado took another path? The whole county needs to be on gaurd anyway! I mean 1-2 miles can make a HUGE difference in a tornado but like I said what if it turned and took another path.. Im really glad things are improving but this leaves me a little skeptical.. By the way I want more snow.
I think storm based warnings are great for the novice storm followers and the average citizen. Myself I have always been able to pinpoint on radar the storm movements. The April 7th tornado last year and Hendersonville was on the other side of the bypass thus for the most part my family and home was safe, I could follow the track on the radar with ease but not many are as obsessed with weather like I am and could not do this. Now all we need is for the local communites to quit being tight-wads and install county/town wide alarm systems that would waken the dead.
I think this is a great idea in the right direction. But I will still like to see even further refinements to the storm (tornado) warning system. It seems as if everytime a severe t’storm comes up, we’re getting tornado warnings simply because rotation is observed. But since only a small percentage of rotating t’storms produce funnels, it’s become a case of “the boy who cried wolf” where people (such as myself) tend to not take them as seriously. A perfect example of this occurred back last spring. A severe t’storm came through my neck of the woods around 2am. The lightning woke me up, I turned on the TV and saw that Williamson County was under a tornado warning. As soon as the mets mentioned that it was entirely based upon rotation seen by radar, I went back to sleep.
I would like to see a three tier tornado warning system implemented. The first would be something such as “tornado-capable storm warning” or “rotation warning”. Then have another level such as “tornado-likely” or “extreme rotation warning”. Leave the actual tornado warnings for times when an actual funnel has been seen visually or a hook echo has formed.
Anyway, that’s just my 2 cents.
I’m very interested in this new system. When a nasty storm rolls through (for instance) Southern Davidson County near Triune & Nolensville, why put the whole county (like Joelton & Goodlettsville & Madison) on alert?
This is why the new system makes a lot of sense!
Up here in Putnam County, when a storm is rolling through Monterey, it means it’s already passed through Cookeville and the whole county doesn’t need to ‘take cover’….
It will need to be refined more and I like the idea of the ‘tiered’ warning system also….
But I dont think you are looking at it at the prospective as I am. Yeah you may not be in the line of fire.. but do you really know your not?? I think the old system, whole county warning is still the best. But of course, its not up to me. We’ll just have to see how this new system works.
I find humor in some of the above posts. I notice most of you claim the old severe weather warnings “cry wolf.” When a thunderstorm is located on radar, a tornado warning is put in effect due to rotation. The rotation never reaches an individual which causes them to not take these warnings seriously such as Maud’dib.
However, the slightest inclination of an accumulation of snow sends the entire county to the grocery store so they can stock up on milk, bread, and bottled water. It seems as though priorities may be a little out of order. Just my two cents.
Well, not the entire county, Weatherman. I can’t recall ever making a run to Kroger to stock up on bread, milk, and bottle water based upon winter weather predictions. Call me weird, but I usually keep these items in stock in my house regardless of the weather conditions.
However, if I were to make a run to Kroger, it would be more likely for Diet Coke, pizza, and chicken wings.