Tornado Notification


Illustrated tornado from the book The Wizard of Oz
© W. R. Wright, Piglet Press Inc. (www.halcyon.com/piglet/)
Tornadoes are very dangerous. This is why it's important to know when they are going to form. Forecastors at the National Weather Service are always looking for storms that could pop up. Nobody knows exactly how tornadoes form, but they do know what conditions they need in order to form. When the conditions are right for tornadoes, forecastors issue a tornado watch.

Forecastors will issue a tornado warning when they know a tornado is forming or has already formed. They train tornado spotters to go out and look for tornadoes. If a spotter sees a tornado, the Weather Service will issue a warning. Another tool meteorologists have for forecasting tornadoes is radar. The may issue a warning based on the radar picture if a tornado looks like it's starting.

You can hear about a warning different ways. Most cities have tornado sirens that go off if there's a warning. Also, you will hear about warnings on television or radio.

Current severe weather watches and warnings for the continental U. S.

Tornado Notification


Illustrated tornado from the book The Wizard of Oz
© W. R. Wright, Piglet Press Inc. (www.halcyon.com/piglet/)
Tornadoes are very dangerous so it's important to know when they may form so you can take shelter. Forecastors at the National Weather Service are always looking for possible storms. Even though nobody knows for certain how tornadoes form, they do know when conditions are most likely for them to form. When the conditions are likely, the Storm Prediction Center issues a tornado watch. These watches usually last from four to six hours.

When a tornado watch is issued, local storm spotter networks activate. If a spotter sees a storm, the local Weather Service office will issue a tornado warning for the local area near the tornado. They can also issue warnings based on radar images. Meteorologists us certain radar echos to help forecast tornadoes.

If there is a warning issued for your area, you may hear about it from different sources. Most cities have tornado sirens to alert people to the danger. Also, using a new network called the Emergency Alert System, people can hear about warnings right away. Unlike the old system, the EAS will only notify you of warnings in your county and it is able to electronically turn on your radio or television when there is an emergency.

Current severe weather watches and warnings for the continental U. S.

Tornado Notification


Illustrated tornado from the book The Wizard of Oz
© W. R. Wright, Piglet Press Inc. (www.halcyon.com/piglet/)
Tornadoes are very destructive, so it's important to know when one may form so you can take shelter. Forecastors at the National Weather Service are always on the lookout for developing storms. Even though nobody knows how tornadoes form, they do know the conditions when they are most likely to form. When the conditions exist, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, issues a tornado watch. The watches usually last from four to six hours and usually cover a box from 20,000 to 40,000 square miles.

The local storm spotter network activates when a watch is issued. The spotters are trained to notice tornadoes as they form. If a spotter sees a tornado, the local Weather Service office will issue a tornado warning for the county or counties near the tornado. They can also issue warnings based on radar images. There are certain radar echos that are associated with tornadoes and they use the echos to forecast when a tornado will form.

You will hear about warnings issued for your county or parish through different ways. Many cities have tornado sirens which sound when a warning is issued. Also, the new Emergency Alert System can notify people over radio and television even if their radios and televisions are turned off. Another aspect of the EAS is it allows for site-specific warnings. If you live in one place you'll only hear warnings for you, not for some other place in the station's viewing or listening area.

Current severe weather watches and warnings for the continental U. S.


Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer