I'm Jay Farlow. W9LW is my amateur (ham) radio call sign. I've been a ham since 1973. I've been a volunteer storm spotter for the National Weather Service SKYWARN program since the 1970s. I've also been a volunteer EMT and firefighter and member of a disaster medical assistance team. I advise the leadership team of Associated Churches Active in Disaster, a ministry of Associate Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County. Learn more about w9lw at www.qrz.com/db/w9lw.
Throughout the week, I’ll use my “W9LW’s Ramblings” blog to help build awareness of important severe weather concepts that everyone should know.
If you’re a trained storm spotter, you’ll already know most of the stuff I’ll write about. In that case, I encourage you to use Indiana Severe Weather Preparedness Week to share this information with your family, friends and co-workers. After all, you are probably the closest thing to a weather expert who those folks know personally.
Today, I’ll start with one of the most basic of severe weather concepts, but also one of the most important; knowing the difference between a severe weather watch and a warning.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has used the term, “watch,” since August of 1965 but I still talk to people who don’t really understand what a watch is and others who refer to watches as warnings and warnings as watches.
Here’s a simple table to help you remember the difference. The information below applies to both tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings and watches.
Warning
Watch
Your response
Take shelter now!
Remain alert, determine where you’ll take shelter if necessary
Meaning
Severe weather is imminent, has been detected by radar and/or confirmed by trained weather spotters
Conditions are favorable for the development of severe weather in and close to the watch area
Timeframe
Minutes before danger arrives
Usually hours before severe weather occurs
Geography
Very local, sometimes less than a county, based on storm location and track
Regional, multiple counties, often crossing state lines, based on atmospheric conditions
Bottom line: When the NWS issues a warning, it’s time to take action. Now. When the NWS issues a watch, it’s time to make sure you’ll know about a warning if one comes out later and time to make sure you know what you’ll do if a warning comes out.
Please share this! Do you know someone who doesn’t really understand watches and warnings? Use the buttons below to share a link with your social networks, etc.
Meteorologists from the Memphis NWS office presented a two-hour SKYWARN spotter training session via Google Hangouts and you can see a recording of the entire thing on YouTube.
The recording provides useful and interesting information, but viewers should not assume that their local NWS offices will recognize the program as official spotter training. The northern Indiana NWS office does not, according to Michael Lewis, that office’s warning coordination meteorologist.
At the time of this writing, the only ways to be recognized by the northern Indiana office as a trained spotter are to attend an in-person training session sanctioned by that office or complete MetEd online training, Lewis said.
Of course, taking training recognized by your local office matters only if you wish to on that office’s official list of trained spotters, which can help improve the credibility of any reports you make to that office. In my experience, the northern Indiana NWS office accepts reports from anyone, trained or not. But reports that come from spotters they recognize has having received official training probably have a greater effect on meteorological decision making.
If you read convective outlooks as much as I do (especially during severe storm season), you’ll likely encounter a reference to a “shortwave,” which is an abbreviated way to mentioning a shortwave trough (area of low pressure) in the atmosphere. Shortwaves can help create thunderstorms.
Meteorologist Jason Myers published an excellent, short video explanation of shortwaves. Check it out, it’ll only take you 65 seconds!
I’ve wondered for a while whether tornado sirens (or, as emergency managers often call them, “outdoor warning sirens”) have become so ingrained in our culture over the past several decades that people instinctively treat them as our most important (if not our only) method to receive warning of impending weather danger.
Tornado damage in Smithfield, NY (NWS photo)
Lately, I’ve seen evidence that this is unfortunately the case. It would be unfortunate, because such sirens were never intended to provide warning to people who are indoors and because many, many communities (including the Indiana community in which I live) don’t have enough warning sirens to assure that every person in the community can hear them, even when outdoors.
Why do I think our culture nonetheless puts too much stock in tornado sirens? Here’s one case in point: CBS Evening News reporter Vinita Nair did a report July 9 about a rare New York State tornado that killed four people in the town of Smithfield. In part of her report, Nair said, “Smithfield doesn’t even have tornado sirens.” What prompted that line in her report? I submit that its inclusion indicates how widely-held is the belief that tornado sirens are a primary way to receiving warning of impending danger.
Here’s more evidence to consider. At the 11th International Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) Conference in University Park, Pennsylvania, last May, seven authors presented “Tweeting and Tornadoes,” an academic paper that examines the content of geo-located Twitter messages (tweets) sent on the microblog social network during the Moore, Oklahoma tornado of May 20, 2013. Among other findings, the authors noted that the volume of tweets spiked significantly when tornado sirens became audible to Twitter users (see the graph below).
Figure from Blanford, et. al., “Tweeting and Tornadoes”: Temporal distribution of tweets with at least one keyword (gray bars) (e.g., ‘storm’, ‘weather’, ‘take/ing cover’, ‘shelter’, ‘pray’, ‘emergency’, ‘red cross’, ‘help’ and ‘devast’, ‘destruct’, and ‘donat’ in relation to tweets containing the keyword ‘tornado’ (blue area) or ‘siren’ (black line) and how these related to the tornado event (red bar). Tweets were summarized for each hour.
The authors write, “Sirens in Moore were sounded six times with the initial siren occurring shortly after the first NWS tornado warning was sent (14:41hr) with the final warning at 15:20hr (Kuligowski et al., 2013). The first mention of sirens also begins at 14:41hr (N=22 tweets in 4 minutes) with tweets such as ‘Sirens going off now!! Take cover…be safe!’, ‘Sirens sirens sirens. Becoming so real’, and ‘If u hear a tornado siren, uve got 6-8 minutes…’”
The tweet that included the words “becoming so real” particularly got my attention. It almost seems as if the writer of that tweet did not begin to appreciate the seriousness of the situation, until she heard sirens. And it came from a person who was obviously connected to the Internet (either via computer or smartphone) and therefore had at her disposal official tweets from NWS and other information sources to enhance situational awareness before sirens sounded.
If, in fact, sirens have become so ingrained in our culture that we need them for motivation when severe weather threatens, I consider that a dangerous trait. Too many of us will never hear a siren, even if a tornado is about to destroy the home we’re in. Even a person who lives close to a siren will likely never hear it just before a non-tornadic severe thunderstorm drops a tree on his house and kills him (because many, if not most, communities don’t sound tornado sirens for severe thunderstorms without imminent tornado threats).
How do we remove tornado sirens from their strongly held homes deep in our collective psyche? Perhaps we can’t. But it sure wouldn’t hurt if trusted news sources and public officials continue to share information with their audiences and constituents about the shortcomings of tornado warning sirens, the necessity of having alternative means of receiving warnings and the importance of reacting immediately and appropriately to those warnings, regardless of whether a tornado siren is audible. Likewise, if you’re reading this blog, chances are good that you’re the severe weather expert in your family, circle of friends, church, etc. You can help to, by spreading the word in your community.
The sound of a tornado siren is so motivating and our response to the sound is so emotional, that the Indianapolis Colts NFL football team uses that sound to rile up the fans during home games at Lucas Oil Stadium. We might never change the emotion associated with that sound. But perhaps we can help protect our communities by doing what we can to build up the importance of other warning methods.
If we’re successful, perhaps someday, the sound of a weather alert radio’s alarm will prompt a tweet like, “Weather radio sounding off. This is becoming so real.”
What do you think? Add your comments to this post (there’s a link right under the title).
1) Storm chasers are not saving lives. In fact, storm chasers sometimes put themselves at risk and further burden local emergency managers should they require assistance. Chasers call this phenomenon “chaser convergence,” and it sometimes crowds rural and remote roadways to the point that emergency vehicles can no longer pass.
I think “Slate” author Eric Holthaus over generalizes a bit when he writes, “Storm chasers are not saving lives.”
Some chasers are true scientists who conduct research that might someday save lives by enabling improved forecasts, for example. And some chasers act as both chasers and SKYWARN storm spotters when in the field — in other words, these chasers report the severe weather they see to the nearest National Weather Service office.
Chasers who do bona fide research and those who make reports to the NWS might be saving lives, either in the long term or short term. On the other hand, Holthaus might be correct, if he refers to the remainder of chasers, who neither do true research nor call in reports.
A 14-year-old Winona Lake boy died early this morning when a large tree fell on a mobile home, according to a preliminary summary of local storm reports issued by the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service at 8:14 a.m. The NWS attributes the report to Kosciusko County’s emergency management agency, which reported that the fatality occurred at 1:20 a.m.
The NWS had issued a severe thunderstorm warning at 1:02 a.m. for an area that included Winona Lake. The warning was in effect until 1:45 a.m. and included the following language:
* AT 100 AM EDT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF MENTONE TO 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AKRON...AND MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.
HAZARD...70 MPH WIND GUSTS.
SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED.
IMPACT...EXPECT CONSIDERABLE TREE DAMAGE. DAMAGE IS LIKELY TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND OUTBUILDINGS.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... WARSAW...WINONA LAKE...NORTH MANCHESTER...TRI-LAKES...COLUMBIA CITY...HUNTINGTON...AKRON...PIERCETON...SOUTH WHITLEY...BURKET... PALESTINE...BEAVER DAM LAKE...CLUNETTE...GILEAD...MONOQUET... DISKO...CLAYPOOL...STOCKDALE...SILVER LAKE AND ROANN.
That warning should not have surprised anyone, because all of Kosciusko County had been under severe thunderstorm watch number 381 since 11:35 p.m. Monday night.
As of the time of this writing, the NWS was working with emergency managers throughout its 37-county warning area to determine whether to send out storm survey teams and if so, where to send them.
Below is summary of storm damage reports, issued by the NWS at 8:14 a.m. EDT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 814 AM EDT TUE JUL 01 2014
Meteorologists in Illinois documented the first radar hook echo on this date in 1953. This was a major turning point in monitoring severe weather, demonstrating that tornadoes could be identified by radar. This discovery helped lead to the first national weather radar network in the United States.
First recorded radar hook echo of a tornado, April 9, 1953, near Champaign, IL (photo courtesy of the Illinois State Water Survey, INRS, University of Illinois).
If you read this blog regularly, you know that the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service has been supplementing live and online independent-study SKYWARN storm spotter training with “chats” via Facebook and Twitter.
During one of the Facebook chats, a spotter asked an excellent question: If he sees a tornado, should he call the NWS first, or 911? The spotter reasoned that if he calls 911, local public safety officials would learn of the tornado and would relay the report to the NWS.
The NWS replied that they’d prefer to get the first call. This makes a lot of sense, for the following reasons:
911 call centers get very busy answering calls and dispatching emergency responders during severe weather. They are often so busy, they don’t have time to call the NWS with the reports they receive. We should never assume that a report made via 911 will get to the NWS.
911 call centers might be able to activate tornado sirens, but they cannot issue the official tornado warning that triggers NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) alerts, broadcast radio or TV alerts or cell phone wireless emergency alerts (WEA).
The NWS, on the other hand, can issue the official tornado warning, which will go to the 911 center, the broadcast media and directly to the general public via multiple channels, including NWR, WEA, smartphone apps, etc.
There can be an issue, however, with calling the NWS. Sometimes, their unlisted spotter report line is busy when spotters call, especially during a widespread event. That’s one reason that the NWS increasingly suggests that trained storm spotters use Twitter (include @nwsiwx or #nwsiwx in your tweet) or Facebook to send reports. These social media channels also allow spotters to add credibility to their reports by including photographs. During periods of severe weather, NWS monitors Twitter and Facebook constantly, so a social media report can actually reach meteorologists faster than a telephone report, especially if the phone line is busy.
Of course, for spotters who are also ham radio operators, ham radio SKYWARN nets provide another alternative to telephone and social media. And ham radio transmission allows other radio-equipped spotters to hear reports as spotters make them.
Earlier, I wrote a post titled, “Stop believing in tornado sirens.” I hoped it would help convince readers that the decades-old technology is not the best way to learn of severe weather threats.
Now, here’s a bit more about better alternatives.
Weather alert radios
In the earlier post, I mentioned weather alert radios. There are several manufacturers and models. What you want is one that supports Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME). It’s a system that allows weather radios to remain silent until a warning is issued for your own county. This means there’s never any reason to turn off the radio. One of the least expensive is the Midland WR120. I’ve seen it priced at under $35. It’s available at most Walgreens pharmacies, as well as other local retailers. There are plenty of other choices. Just do a search on Amazon or any other shopping website for “weather alert radio same.”
Smartphone apps
Smartphone apps are another option. They have the advantage of using the phone’s GPS to know where you are and alert you of warnings for that location, even when you’re away from home. Be sure to choose an app that make a loud enough noise to wake you.
I’ve tested the Storm Shield App from the E.W. Scripps Company. It’s available for iOS and Android.
By the way, if you have a new enough smartphone, it probably supports Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), which means that even without installing an app, the phone will sound off when a tornado warning is issued for wherever you are. It depends on the device and the cell phone company. My old iPhone 4 did not support WEA, but the newer iPhone 4S does. Follow the link at the beginning of this paragraph to find out if your phone supports WEA.
I know of no other options that will wake you in the middle of the night. But during the daytime and evening when you’re still up, the following resources can be helpful:
Text messaging
Many local TV stations send subscribers text messages when the NWS issues weather warnings. Just visit the website of your favorite station to see what it offers.
Other websites also offer text messaging, some for free and some for a fee, including:
Not that if a storm destroys your nearest cell phone tower, that might keep you from getting text messages on time.
Local broadcast radio and television
If you know a watch has been issued, you can learn of warnings by keeping a radio or TV on and tuned to a local station. Most will automatically interrupt programming when the NWS issues a warning for their listening/viewing areas.
Social Media
Local broadcasters and the NWS often post news of weather warnings on Twitter and Facebook. Social media, however, should never be your primary source of warning information, because warnings might not appear promptly enough.
Know someone who could benefit from this information? Use the sharing buttons below to share it with your own social networks. Feel free to submit a comment if you have other suggestions for weather radios and/or other sources of severe weather information.
Governor Mike Pence has proclaimed March 15 through 21, 2015 as Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.
Smartphone apps are another option. They have the advantage of using the phone’s GPS to know where you are and alert you of warnings for that location, even when you’re away from home. Be sure to choose an app that make a loud enough noise to wake you.
By the way, if you have a new enough smartphone, it probably supports