re: Starting Aug. 2 'Destructive Severe Thunderstorm Warnings' to Trigger Alerts on Phones

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'Destructive Severe Thunderstorm Warning'

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Great, sometimes it is like they try to figure out ways to complicate the warning system needlessly.

I don't even care for the Significant Weather Advisories the NWS rolled out a while back. "This storm doesn't reach the level of Severe. It doesn't have very high winds. It doesn't have large hail. It isn't lightning very much, and there probably won't be any Flash Flooding."

So, you're telling me that we are just having some rainy fricking weather?

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On average, only 10% of all severe thunderstorms reach the destructive category level each year, according to the National Weather Service, but those storms can cause massive damage.

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They did away with most Advisories, which needed to happen as it gummed up the works. It took them more than a year of surveys and meetings to do that, but they got it done.

I thought, maybe, they were headed in the right direction toward an overhaul of the convoluted (to anyone who doesn't really pay attention, anyway) SPC Threat Risk system. Maybe they were going to make it actually, you know....make sense. Nope, they decided to add another warning to the list for NWS offices to deal with that will result in more judgment calls and at least the perception of more false alarms.

Let's not even get into that this diminishes the seriousness of a Severe Storm Warning in the eyes of people who don't follow weather, and increases their chances of disregarding those warnings because, "Oh....it isn't a Destructive Severe Thunderstorm, we'll be fine out here fishing."

I don't think the NWS has realized yet that you have to constantly account for the stupidity of people at every turn and decision.

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I don't think the NWS has realized yet that you have to constantly account for the stupidity of people at every turn and decision.

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This is very true.

But...each NWS office as distinction to set their own policies for when to issue certain watches/warnings.

For example, NWS New Orleans will issue a freeze warning when the temp will go below 32. But... they don't issue freeze warnings at 32 degrees up north... because they would issue one every day!

So maybe NWS NOLA will look at this and laugh... while other offices were severe thunderstorms are not common will be able to use this to be more effective.