Changes Possible to Weather Service Hazard Headlines
By: Meteorologist Steve Newton
Updated: January 23, 2013
When the weather team informs viewers of watches, warnings, or advisories, we mention the most important information like where the information is and what the effect on viewers will be. The Wind Chill Advisory for part of our the viewing area Monday-Wednesday had several paragraphs of information, but the most important information was how wind chills would be as low as -15 or -20F.
The advisory message from Wednesday morning reads like this:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
333 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
PAZ024-033-231800-
/O.CON.KCTP.WC.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-130123T1800Z/
CAMBRIA-SOMERSET-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JOHNSTOWN...SOMERSET
333 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS
AFTERNOON...
* LOCATIONS...THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...AS LOW AS 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
* IMPACTS...DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS AND FROSTBITE. FROSTBITE CAN
OCCUR IF SKIN IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS FOR MORE THAN 30
MINUTES.
* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IF YOU WILL BE OUTDOORS...DRESS IN LAYERS AND WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES. FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA ARE POSSIBLE IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT...WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE.
Since last month, 26 weather offices across the country have been issuing two types of hazard messages: the official message like above, and a message with some simplified text. The latter is not being released like the official message, but posted on special pages within the National Weather Service's website.
The State College and Pittsburgh weather offices are not included in the 26, but offices that frequently experience severe winter weather are like in the northern plains, Michigan, and New England. This test program is issuing the two message types on 14 winter weather events.
Image courtesy National Weather Service
(The reason Honolulu is listed is that the mountains on the Big Island do get snow in the winter.)
Burlington, Vermont has been issuing Wind Chill Warnings this week with the arctic air moving in. This is one of their warnings issued this morning:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON-WESTERN ESSEX-
SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...STAR LAKE...
SARANAC LAKE...TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA...LAKE PLACID...
OGDENSBURG...POTSDAM...GOUVERNEUR
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON CONTINUES THE WIND CHILL WARNING...UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.
* LOCATIONS...THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK.
* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...VALUES WILL BE IN THE 30 TO 35 BELOW RANGE WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 6 TO 12 MPH TODAY.
* IMPACTS...EXPOSURE TO THE VERY COLD CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.
Now look at the proposed alternative and see the difference. I've marked them in bold.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE- SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON-WESTERN ESSEX-
SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...STAR LAKE...
SARANAC LAKE...TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA...LAKE PLACID...
OGDENSBURG...POTSDAM...GOUVERNEUR
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON CONTINUES A WARNING FOR DANGEROUSLY COLD AND WINDY CONDITIONS UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.
* LOCATIONS...THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK.
* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...VALUES WILL BE IN THE 30 TO 35 BELOW RANGE WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 6 TO 12 MPH TODAY.
* IMPACTS...EXPOSURE TO THE VERY COLD CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.
There is a special page on the National Weather Service's website in which the proposed changes are outlined.
Which do you prefer? The current messaging system for weather alerts or one with some altered text better explaining the weather event?
The advisory message from Wednesday morning reads like this:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
333 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
PAZ024-033-231800-
/O.CON.KCTP.WC.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-130123T1800Z/
CAMBRIA-SOMERSET-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...JOHNSTOWN...SOMERSET
333 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1 PM EST THIS
AFTERNOON...
* LOCATIONS...THE LAUREL HIGHLANDS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...AS LOW AS 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.
* IMPACTS...DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS AND FROSTBITE. FROSTBITE CAN
OCCUR IF SKIN IS EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS FOR MORE THAN 30
MINUTES.
* WINDS...WEST 10 TO 15 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 MPH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
IF YOU WILL BE OUTDOORS...DRESS IN LAYERS AND WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES. FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA ARE POSSIBLE IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT...WEATHER.GOV/STATECOLLEGE.
Since last month, 26 weather offices across the country have been issuing two types of hazard messages: the official message like above, and a message with some simplified text. The latter is not being released like the official message, but posted on special pages within the National Weather Service's website.
The State College and Pittsburgh weather offices are not included in the 26, but offices that frequently experience severe winter weather are like in the northern plains, Michigan, and New England. This test program is issuing the two message types on 14 winter weather events.
Image courtesy National Weather Service
(The reason Honolulu is listed is that the mountains on the Big Island do get snow in the winter.)
Burlington, Vermont has been issuing Wind Chill Warnings this week with the arctic air moving in. This is one of their warnings issued this morning:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON-WESTERN ESSEX-
SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...STAR LAKE...
SARANAC LAKE...TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA...LAKE PLACID...
OGDENSBURG...POTSDAM...GOUVERNEUR
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
...WIND CHILL WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS
EVENING...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON CONTINUES THE WIND CHILL WARNING...UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.
* LOCATIONS...THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK.
* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...VALUES WILL BE IN THE 30 TO 35 BELOW RANGE WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 6 TO 12 MPH TODAY.
* IMPACTS...EXPOSURE TO THE VERY COLD CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.
Now look at the proposed alternative and see the difference. I've marked them in bold.
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE- SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON-WESTERN ESSEX-
SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MASSENA...MALONE...STAR LAKE...
SARANAC LAKE...TUPPER LAKE...DANNEMORA...LAKE PLACID...
OGDENSBURG...POTSDAM...GOUVERNEUR
955 AM EST WED JAN 23 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON CONTINUES A WARNING FOR DANGEROUSLY COLD AND WINDY CONDITIONS UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING.
* LOCATIONS...THE SAINT LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF NEW YORK.
* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS.
* WIND CHILL READINGS...VALUES WILL BE IN THE 30 TO 35 BELOW RANGE WITH WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 6 TO 12 MPH TODAY.
* IMPACTS...EXPOSURE TO THE VERY COLD CONDITIONS COULD LEAD TO FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA.
There is a special page on the National Weather Service's website in which the proposed changes are outlined.
Which do you prefer? The current messaging system for weather alerts or one with some altered text better explaining the weather event?
