[BC] Weather format

[Dave Dunsmoor]

>I was standing next to an air talent one day when he said, "A Tornado
Warning has been issued! Details comin' up!" >Then started a commercial
break. I was stunned and thought 'what an idiot'!

    Yeah, somewhat. "Idiocy" borne of ignorance, most likely. He had never
seen a tornado (up close), nor the aftermath of one. Either situation will
cause one to never become complacent about tornados.

    The first time I was actually exposed to one was one night in Louisiana.
I was staying at a friend's place, and they had a terrific storm. 7" of rain
in a few hours, lots of lightning activity, and when it was mostly all over,
and moving east, we went outside to watch the departing storm. While we were
standing in the driveway, the phone rang, and he went in to answer. As I
stood there, I heard a noise that wasn't familiar to where I was. Sounded
like, yes, a freight train nearby. But there were no tracks of any sort for
miles.

    He came back out, said it was his wife (who was a Nurse, she was working
that night), asking if we saw the tornado. No we didn't but we got in the
car and went to go see. What I saw that night, and again the next day has
stayed with me these 35 years, and has been greatly added to over the years.

    This was in early 1974, and there were no sirens, no radio/TV warnings
(that we were aware of), and the several tornados came in the middle of the
night, they moved (and removed) homes and people by chance of location.

    I've seen much tornado damage in the years since, and was actually
buffeted by the winds of one as I sat in my pickup many years ago. A tornado
is something I want to NEVER see in my neighborhood. There is usually no
escaping the effects unless you're in a hole in the ground. Even the F0 ones
are significantly damaging. If you happen to be out in the open, that
business of "duck into a ditch" doesn't hold much hope as far as I'm
concerned - I've seen what an F0 does at ground level, and it's significant.

    Now that I've painted such a dire picture, the fact is that the chance
of being hit by one at any given location is quite remote - but enough that
I want to know if one is on the way. And I want the warning to be out
immediately. Radio, TV, local sirens, whatever.

    Here is one example of how even a correctly working EAS plan seems to be
wanting - describing the warning area by counties (only). I've lived here
for 38 years, and yet I do not know where all the counties are in the
surrounding countryside. I certainly do not know where the county lines are,
or even what the county names are as I drive cross-country. I do have a fair
idea of which town is where, even as I'm driving, so to reference to
towns/cities would be very useful.... but that requires a live body at the
helm, and someone with the wherewithall to actually make the announcement.
Small point in the grand scheme of things, I suppose.

Dave Dunsmoor