[EAS] NWS Impact Based Warnings

[Tim Stoffel]

If these impact based warnings are related to the changes that NWS wants to make in their language of warnings (that are the subject of comment solicitation on NWS websites), IMHO they are heading down the wrong path.

Severe weather watches and warnings have been with us for many years. But as has been discussed many other times here, unsettles weather information of all types is becoming too common. The one that recently 'tripped me up' were 'red flag warnings', which there was little information about, at first.

I like the idea of toning down the language of advisories a little bit, although there is nothing fundamentally wrong with 'advisory. Watches and Warnings should not be changed. These are now well-understood legacy terms. What the NWS really needs to do is issue less of them. Save watches and warnings for things that are imminently life or property threatening.

Red Flag Warnings, for instance, have become ubiquitous here in the west. They would be much better calling these 'fire weather advisories'. The only place, IMHO where a 'Red Flag Warning' might be appropriate is if a fire started near a community, etc. or suddenly changed direction towards one. Warnings need to be warnings. As it stands right now, a Tornado Warning means 'take cover, a twister is coming!!'. A Red Flag Warning should be 'A wildfire is dangerously close to where you are. Take appropriate action to be ready to evacuate, or fight the fire (which is appropriate in some cases). But at the moment, a Red Flag Warning means 'A possibility exists a wildfire might start somewhere in the region'.

Sometimes, I think that Government feels that people can't protect themselves, and they have to 'step in to protect you'. The vast majority of people have common sense, and this constant 'crying wolf' by the NWS is evidence that the Government doesn't think we have common sense. Changing this mindset would not only IMHO serve the public better, but would save a lot of money as well.

Tim Stoffel, KNPB