‘Destructive’ Severe Thunderstorm Warning to Trigger Emergency Alerts on Mobile Phones
Posted
Last Updated
The National Weather Service has announced that a new category of “Destructive” Severe Thunderstorm Warning will trigger wireless Emergency Alerts on mobile phones starting August 2.
Severe thunderstorms can be life threatening, but not all severe storms are the same.
The National Weather Service has announced that a new category of “Destructive” Severe Thunderstorm Warning will trigger wireless Emergency Alerts on mobile phones starting August 2.
Severe thunderstorms can be life threatening, but not all severe storms are the same.
Hazardous conditions range from tornadoes, large hail storms, and widespread straight-line winds called derechoes, to cloud-to-ground lightning and flash flooding.
The National Weather Service says the new alert will better convey the severity and potential impacts from thunderstorm winds and hail by adding a “damage threat” tag similar to Tornado and Flash Flood Warnings.
There are now three categories of damage threat for Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, in order of highest to lowest, destructive, considerable, and base.
These tags and additional messaging are designed to promote immediate action, based on the threats.
