[EAS] Recent Tsunami Watch

[Eric Adler]

I've discussed the different NWS alert products (watches/warnings) with our local (regional?) NWS weather forecast office's Warning Coordination Meteorologist along with their likelihood of occurring in our area and need for action in the past to determine what is best to relay for our radio and TV coverage areas (which roughly approximate the full forecast area of that office).  While your description of watch and warning sounds correct, I believe there is some more nuance to the implications of some of the different types of watches and warnings that may be important to consider.  For example, in some places it may make sense to auto-forward TOA (tornado watch) and SVR (severe thunderstorm warning) but not SVA (severe thunderstorm watch), in other places it may make sense to never auto-forward WSAs but forward SVS always.  (These are just off-the-cuff examples, please don't follow them without proper vetting)

Tsunamis aren't something we expect here in-land of the Eastern seaboard so I have no specific comments on that set of alerts.  

On Wed, Jan 24, 2018 at 1:17 PM, Larry Wood <LWood at kqed.org> wrote:
>Yesterday KQED-FM, the LP2, received a Tsunami Watch. Received at 1:46A from the NWS and at 2:00A from the LP1. There are two levels of Tsunami alert, Watch and Warning. It my understanding that a Watch is for something that Might happen and a Warning is for something the either IS happening or WILL happen soon. Therefore I choose to log watches and relay warnings. Our operators will decide if it is worthwhile to read the watch alert to the listeners. This usually works well for us, but what is the best practice for tsunamis? The watch was later canceled, but I know people who live nowhere near the coast who were awakened in the middle of the night from their Nixel alerts on their phones. It seems like coast sirens are the best warning system for tsunamis.

>Anyone wish to chime in with an opinion?

>Cheers,

>Larry Wood, CPBE
>KQED-FM

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--
Eric Adler
Director of Engineering/IT & Broadcast Operations
WSKG Public Broadcasting
607.729.0100x378