Update on StormBased Warnings

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Update on Storm-Based Warnings

• Partners Meeting
• Wednesday, June 20, 2007

John FerreeNWS Severe Storms Services Leader
May 8, 2003
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The Weather Warning Partnership
National Weather Service
The Public
News Media and Private Sector Meteorologists
Emergency Management
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Why Storm-Based Warnings?

• More specific
• Increased clarity
• Supports newdissemination technology

Three simultaneous tornadoes within line of
severe thunderstorms
Storm-Based Tornado Warnings 70 less area
covered 600,000 fewer people warned
County-Based Tornado Warnings 8 Counties under
warning Almost 1 million people warned
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An Extreme Example ofFalsely Alarmed Area

• Severe Thunderstorm Warning for San Bernardino
  and Riverside County CA
• 3.5 million people
• 27,000 square miles
• Threatened Area
• lt 2000 people
• 750 square miles

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Delineation Improves FFWs
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Feature Tracking Added

• Location and motion of feature
• Estimated location of tornado, leading edge of
  gust front, leading edge of hail core, or other.

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Outstanding Issues for Storm-Based Warnings

• County Warning Area (CWA) boundaries
• Multiple warnings in a county
• Local Storm Report (LSR) improvements
• CAP format

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County Warning Area Boundaries
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County Warning Area Boundaries
ILX
Bond
Fayette
Madison
Clay
STL
Marion
Clinton
St. Clair
Wayne
Washington
Jefferson
Hamilton
Perry
Randolph
PAH
Franklin
Jackson
Saline
Williamson
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Multiple Warnings in One County/Parish

• Issue for text, radio, TV crawls
• Add reference to other valid warnings
• Include counties with directional delimiters?
• Summary severe weather statements?

Bond
Fayette
Madison
Marion
Clinton
SVR until 345PM
St. Clair
Washington
Jefferson
TOR until 330PM
Perry
Randolph
Franklin
Jackson
Williamson
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New Requirements forLocal Storm Reports (LSR)

• Individual report output with VTEC ETN
• Accurate corrections
• Cumulative report output
• One line per report (15 reports in 15 lines)
• Flexible time range (severe reports 18Z 21Z)
• Flexible report type (snowfall accumulation)
• CAP/XML Format

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CAP Format
The Order requires EAS participants to accept
messages using Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)to
ensure the efficient and rapid transmission of
EAS alerts to the American public in a variety of
formats (including text, audio and video) and via
different means (broadcast, cable, satellite, and
other networks) and to promote the development of
Next Generation EAS. Federal Communications
Commission Announcement May 31, 2007
http//www.eic.org/docs/FCCCAPEASnotice.pdf
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Summary of Outstanding Issues for Storm-Based
Warnings

• County Warning Area (CWA) boundaries
• Multiple warnings in a county
• Local Storm Report (LSR) improvements
• CAP format

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www.weather.gov/sbwarnings
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Questions?

• Contact information
• E-mail John.T.Ferree_at_noaa.gov
• Phone [phone]
• Success depends on all of us!