Hello again! I recently watched a re-run of an episode of
Weather Geeks on
The Weather Channel, hosted by
Dr. Marshall Shepherd, with guest
James Spann of
ABC 33/40 in Alabama. [Find them on
Facebook or
Twitter.] The episode was titled "Anatomy of a Tornado Outbreak". It covered information on a level that I felt would shed light on some of the problems the meteorological and weather community face. Hopefully you all find this information helpful and enlightening!
Radar
Of the many topics covered, radar imagery was the first presented by Dr. Shepherd. While speaking about the 2011 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama (April 25-28) where there were
62 confirmed Tornadoes across the state, Dr. Shepherd showed Spann's coverage with his station. Dr. Shepherd asked James what he thought was the reason that, even though the National Weather Service had forecast the event very well, the general population didn't seem to take proper precautions and thus
a total of 238 deaths across Alabama alone.
Regarding the general public's perception and sense of urgency of radar imagery, Spann had this to say,
"As strong as we try to communicate that, people see a bucket of spilled paint. We have to be better in the broadcasting world of getting cameras on Tornadoes. They will respond to that."
Spann continued by saying that he believes that if people can see a tornado during live coverage, it will carry more impact to how viewers and the general population respond to Warnings. He went on to say,
"Based on research we've seen, people don't understand Storm-based Warnings; polygon Warnings. We got a problem. We don't warn by county!" ... "Tornadoes are small, and counties are huge."
I entirely agree that one of the biggest problems with the majority of Watches & Warnings are that they are sent out based on County, and not the polygon issued by the NWS. This isn't always the case, but definitely is more often than not. Spann concluded this segment of the show with these major bullet points;
"We have to get more cameras on tornadoes; we have to quit showing as much radar." ... "And we have to communicate effectively."
As the show went on, Dr. Shepherd and Span talked about some of the lessons learned from the 2011 Tornado Outbreak as a whole, and shared some stories and work they had both done since then, along with other meteorologists, researchers, and meteorological groups. And then came the topic of how the general public receives weather Watches & Warnings when they are not at their home and able to watch local or national weather coverage for their area.
Public Situational Awareness of Weather
Both the host, Dr. Shepherd, and his guest, James Spann were eager to discuss their thoughts on how to keep the public informed about current weather Watches & Warnings when they can't be in front of a TV. Right off the bat, Dr. Shepherd mentioned Weather Radios. Spann jumped on the topic with enthusiasm saying,
"The base line: It's a Weather Radio. Is it new technology? No. But it works! It works very well. Every home in a Tornado-prone market should have one."
Along the same note, Dr. Shepherd talked adamantly about how, to them, they could care less if "Joe Q. Public" watches their own weather broadcast, but rather that people stay Weather Aware, regardless of where they are. And THAT, my friends is the mark of what a meteorologist's job really entails. They don't care about their ratings; they just want to help people make the best and most timely decision to protect lives & property. Spann mentioned,
"We think people should have two layers; two ways if getting a Warning, because anything could fail. Weather Radio could fail. The Smart Phone Apps are marvelous because they know where you are... So Weather Radio, Smart Phone App; those are the two layers that people should have."
I thought it was great that Dr. Shepherd and Spann spoke about Smart Phone Apps, if only for a couple of minutes, but I want to touch on a point they didn't have time to delve into. The point is this... Don't get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of available apps on your respective Smart Phone's app market. Here are my tips to you when trying to pick an app that's right for your weather needs:
1) Sort the results by popularity. Chances are, if it has hundreds of thousands (or millions) of downloads, it's probably got some decent features.
2) Make sure that the app you've picked from the popular list has a majority of 4 and 5 star reviews. If it's got 3 Stars or less, I would suggest trying another one. Just head back to Step 1.
3) Once you've found an app that looks like it's got good reviews, download it and open it up. Sometimes the apps require you to setup your location, or enable GPS. The GPS function is the absolute most important feature that makes the Smart Phone Apps potentially life-saving. Regardless of how staunch you may be with your privacy, I urge you to consider turning on the GPS function of your Weather App.
4) Now that you've got your app setup, give it a trial run for a handful of days. Check out how it notifies you, what it does and does not do, how easy the interface is to navigate through. If you find all the information you need and aren't being bombarded by ads, you've probably got a decent Weather App.
5) When in doubt, throw the old app out. When you do, just start back up at Step 1 to find another one that works better for you!
You might be asking yourself, "But why would I need a Smart Phone App when I already get information from Facebook / Twitter / etc?" As mentioned earlier by Spann, things fail. It's always good to have a backup. Sometimes social media updates can get 'stuck' out in the internet and not hit your phone immediately. That's why having GPS driven text-based alerts from a Smart Phone App can work brilliantly. They often require a lot less bandwidth to receive the notification and therefore are more likely to get to you immediately after being issued by the National Weather Service.
Others of you might be saying, "Well I'll just hear a siren if there's a Warning." I, along with many other 'weather people', will flat out tell you that this is, by far, one of the biggest mistakes someone can make when it comes to being weather aware. Here's what Spann had to say on, what is known in weather circles as, 'siren mentality',
"You could spend one trillion dollars and still cover a fraction of the land that we serve in tornado-prone markets." Dr. Shepherd and Span go on to talk about how difficult it can be to hear warning sirens inside buildings, in your car, at school, at the gym, even outside. Spann even warned that,
"If your family thinks they are going to hear a siren, you've got a problem!" This is why it is
so important to have multiple ways of staying up-to-date on what's going on, especially on days that are expected to produce severe weather of any type.
James Spann's Challenge to Everyone
At the end of
Weather Geeks, Spann issued a personal challenge to everyone, especially the 'Weather Geeks' out there. "This is your challenge: If you're a Geek watching this show [or in this case, reading this Blog], you tell you friends and your neighbors 'Weather Radio; Smart Phone App!" There it is. Get out there, get people on board with getting a Weather Radio and a Smart Phone App. But not JUST getting a Weather Radio or Smart Phone App, but taking the time to set them up, correctly!
My Personal Plea
If you or someone you know is struggling to setup a Weather Radio or finding and using a good Smart Phone App, send them my way. No, I'm not kidding. My team, Twisted Skies, is built around the same principles and ideals of other weather agencies: protecting life and property. If any help is needed, shoot me an e-mail or social media, or even leave a comment on this Blog. I'll do what I can to help get people on top of being weather aware, and in-the-know.
Personal E-mail -
justin.t.gann@gmail.com
Personal Twitter -
@JustinTGann
Twisted Skies on Facebook
Twisted Skies on Twitter
.JPG)
.JPG)
