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A severe thunderstorm warning is an hazardous weather statement issued by national weather forecasting agencies throughout the world to alert the public that severe thunderstorms are imminent or occurring. The warning is issued when trained storm spotters or Doppler weather radar indicate that a thunderstorm is producing or will soon produce dangerously large hail and high winds, capable of causing significant damage. Flooding is also caused by a thunderstorm's torrential rainfall sometimes. A similar warning is issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada from their offices in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Dartmouth. Skywarn issues the severe thunderstorm warnings for the United Kingdom. In Australia, severe thunderstorm warnings are issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the purposes of protection, safety, and general information. It is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) branch of the Department of Commerce, and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, within the Washington metropolitan area. The agency was known as the United States Weather Bureau from 1890 until it adopted its current name in 1970.
A small craft advisory is a type of wind warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States. In Canada a similar warning is issued by Environment Canada. It is issued when winds have reached, or are expected to reach within 12 hours, a speed marginally less than gale force. A Small Craft Advisory may also be issued when sea or lake ice exists that could be hazardous to small boats.
A winter storm warning is a hazardous weather statement issued by Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States to alert the public that a winter storm is occurring or is about to occur in the area, usually within 36 hours of the storm's onset.
A winter storm watch is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when there is a possibility of heavy snow or potential of significant ice accumulations. The watch is typically issued 12 to 48 hours before the storm's arrival in the given area. The criteria for this watch can vary from place to place, which is true with other winter weather warning and advisories.
This article describes severe weather terminology used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States. The NWS, a government agency operating as an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) branch of the United States Department of Commerce (DoC), defines precise meanings for nearly all of its weather terms.
A lake effect snow warning is a bulletin issued by the National Weather Service in the United States to warn of heavy snowfall amounts that are imminent from convective snow generated by very cold airmass passing over unfrozen lakes. The criteria for amounts may vary significantly over different county warning areas. On October 2, 2017, some National Weather Service Forecast Offices discontinued issuing the Lake Effect Snow Warning, and consolidated it with the Winter Storm Warning. On October 15, 2018, the National Weather Service discontinued issuing Lake Effect Snow Warnings nationwide all together, and all offices consolidated it with the Winter Storm Warning. Lake effect snow warnings were reinstated for the 2019–20 winter season.
This article describes severe weather terminology used by the Meteorological Service of Canada, a branch within Environment and Climate Change Canada. The article primarily describes various weather warnings, and their criteria. Related weather scales and general weather terms are also addressed in this article. Some terms are specific to certain regions.
A particularly dangerous situation (PDS) tag is enhanced wording first used by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), a national guidance center of the United States National Weather Service, for tornado watches and eventually expanded to use for other severe weather watches and warnings by local NWS forecast offices. It is issued at the discretion of the forecaster composing the watch or warning and implies that there is an enhanced risk of very severe and life-threatening weather, usually a major tornado outbreak or a long-lived, extreme derecho event, but possibly another weather hazard such as an exceptional flash flood or fire.
A significant weather advisory is a hazardous weather statement issued by certain Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States to alert the public of thunderstorm activity that is not currently producing or expected to produce severe weather. The title assigned to the advisory—alternately titled "significant weather alert" or referenced by its originating product, "special weather statement"—varies by the issuing WFO.
A blizzard warning is a hazardous weather statement issued by Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States, which indicates heavy snowfall accompanied by sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph (16 m/s) or greater are forecast to occur for a minimum of three hours. A blizzard tends to reduce visibilities to 1⁄4 mile (400 m) or less. A Severe Blizzard Warning is a variation issued in some cases of winds above 45 mph (20 m/s) and temperatures below 10 °F (−12 °C). Most local weather offices will activate and broadcast the SAME alarm tone on relevant NOAA Weather Radio stations for both varieties of warning. When the Wireless Emergency Alerts system was launched in 2012, blizzard warnings were initially sent as alerts to mobile phones; this practice was discontinued in November 2013.
In National Weather Service (NWS) terminology, a Hazardous Weather Outlook is a weather statement issued to provide information of potential severe weather events within the next seven days. The outlook may include information about potential severe thunderstorms, heavy rain or flooding, winter weather, extremes temperatures.
A special marine warning is a warning issued by the U.S. National Weather Service for potentially hazardous marine weather conditions usually of short duration producing sustained marine thunderstorm winds or associated gusts of 34 knots or greater; or hail 3/4 inch or more in diameter; or waterspouts affecting areas included in a coastal waters forecast, a nearshore marine forecast, or a Great Lakes open lakes forecast that is not adequately covered by existing marine warnings. It is also used for short duration mesoscale events such as a strong cold front, gravity wave, squall line, etc., lasting less than 2 hours and producing winds or gusts of 34 knots or greater.
A wind chill watch is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when the wind chill could reach dangerous levels within the next 12 to 48 hours. The exact definition required to issue a watch varies from state to state or from National Weather Service county warning areas to another, but if forecasters believe conditions are favorable for life-threatening wind chills meeting local criteria, a watch will be issued. People going outside should plan to protect themselves against hypothermia and frostbite.
A wind chill warning is a hazardous weather statement issued by local forecast offices of the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States or the Meteorological Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) when wind chills are forecast to reach values low enough to cause life-threatening impacts on residents and travelers.
A Hazardous Seas Warning is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when wave heights and/or wave steepness values reach certain criteria. These criteria are defined by the local forecast office. Such tall waves can pose a serious threat to vessels that do not seek shelter.
A Hazardous Seas Watch is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when there is an increased threat of high wave heights and/or wave steepness values reach a certain criteria, but the occurrence, timing, and/or location are still uncertain. The criteria are set by the local forecast offices. Such tall waves can pose a serious threat to vessels that do not seek shelter.
An extreme cold warning is issued by Environment Canada to inform the public about cold temperatures in their region that are expected to last for at least two hours.
National Weather Service - Norman, Oklahoma is a Weather Forecast Office (WFO) of the National Weather Service based in Norman, Oklahoma, which is responsible for forecasts and the dissemination of weather warnings and advisories for central and most of western Oklahoma, and western portions of north Texas. It is located in the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma campus, where it acts as one of the NOAA Weather Partners, a group of close-together weather-related agencies of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NWS Norman is currently overseen by David Andra, who serves as the Meteorologist In Charge of the office.
The NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards network has a multi-tier concept for forecasting or alerting the public to all types of weather. Actual forecasts vary by the area that the transmitter serves. During severe weather situations, Watch Information Statements for government-designated jurisdictions served by the local NWR station are typically inserted within the station's normal playlist of routine products; a special severe weather playlist temporarily suspends most regularly scheduled routine products in the event National Weather Service-issued warnings are in effect for the station's broadcast area, which solely incorporate watch, warning and Special Weather Statements, and any active Short-Term Forecasts and Hazardous Weather Outlooks.
References
- ↑ National Weather Service. "Wind Chill Advisory". Glossary - National Weather Service. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
- ↑ National Weather Service. "Wind Chill Advisory". Iowa Environmental Mesonet NWS Product Archive. Retrieved 18 May 2011.