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UNITED STATES WEATHER WARNINGS
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NWS National Weather Warnings
Image courtesy
National Weather Service
(NWS - NOAA)
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Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS)
Aviation Weather Center (AWC),
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
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National Warnings
Products,
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
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Warnings By State
National Weather Service (NWS),
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA),
U.S. Department of Commerce
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Our atmosphere is constantly changing; these changes are not always
for the better. When the weather gets nasty, it is the responsibility
of agencies such as the National Weather Service (NWS) in the U.S., the
National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) in the UK, the Bureau of
Meteorology (BoM) in Australia and the Meteorological Service of Canada
(MSC) to assess the potential for severe weather and issue severe weather
forecasts and warnings to alert the public to potential and actual weather
dangers.
Severe weather information is typically disseminated by local and national
broadcast media. Special weather bulletins and severe weather warnings
may be dispatched through civil defense avenues such as the Emergency
Broadcast System. Many communities, particularly in the Midwest, have
siren warning systems that can be activated by civil defense authorities
in the event of a tornado warning.
In the U.S., the National Weather Service issues weather warnings and
advisories for a variety of weather phenomena. Included in the list
of severe weather warnings and advisories issued by the NWS are hurricane
and tropical storm warnings, tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings,
high wind warnings, winter storm warnings, wind chill warnings, flood and
flash flood warnings, and frost and freeze advisories. These warnings
and advisories are utilized by the public, by business and commerce, and
by government agencies.
While the public relies mainly upon government meteorological agencies to
provide severe weather alerts, media outlets such as local television
stations, national and international syndicated networks like
THE
WEATHER CHANNEL®, and internet websites such as
Intellicast.com offer significant
contributions. Many local U.S. TV stations employ professional
meteorologists and have acquired sophisticated doppler radar equipment to
aid in alerting the public to hazardous weather events. Gary England
of KWTV in Oklahoma City, together with his dedicated staff and
network of volunteer storm chasers and weather spotters, saved countless
lives during The Moore Tornado outbreak in 1998.
Industries such as air passenger and cargo transport, tourism and outdoor
entertainment, construction, mining, oil exploration, farming and
power generation have unique weather-dependent requirements. Such
businesses often employ meteorological consultants or maintain an
in-house staff of meteorologists to provide advance warning of weather
events that will impact their operations. Weather occurrences that
merely inconvenience the public may result in significant economic impact
for businesses, and as such may require very specific and detailed
warnings. A matter of a few degrees when near freezing can dramatically
alter the outcome of a concrete pour; strong or weak jet stream winds
or forecast turbulence may require aircraft to alter course and altitude
or take on additional fuel.
Branches of the military traditionally maintain their own weather
services tailored to provide mission-critical support. (See our
U.S.
Military Aviation & Marine Weather page.) Although some
military weather information is not shared due to security concerns and
its mission-specific nature, this has changed substantially from times
past as frequency of joint military operations has increased and use of
satellite weather data has become more prevalent. There has always
been strong cooperation between civilian and military authorities when
severe weather threatens either military bases or nearby civilian
population centers. I can personally attest to this; as an Air
Weather Officer at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1974, I
recall being surrounded on a late night shift by a cluster of civilian
emergency management personnel with walkie-talkies as I manned our
weather radar during a tornado threat.
Weather warnings are critical to our safety and well-being. Equally
critical is our ability to understand their meanings and respond to
weather warnings in a prudent and appropriate manner. It is important to
remember that weather warnings are notices of an imminent or existing
threat. Knowing the nature of each weather hazard for which a warning
can be issued and the appropriate response to take will go a long way
toward protecting your family when severe weather threatens.
Authored by Kenneth L. Anderson.
Original article published 23 June 2005, updated 18 September
2005.
Follow links to the right to learn more about weather warnings and severe weather forecasts.
At the left margin, Related Links address topics of interest
pertaining to weather watches and other severe weather topics. View the
Weather & Meteorology SiteMap
for a complete list of meteorology and weather-related topics.
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