NWS WEA Alerts

​A change is coming to a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) near you. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s the system that pushes those automatic notifications to your smartphone, announcing things like Amber Alerts. Until now, only a few types of high-end weather alerts were broadcast through the WEA (example: Tornado Warnings), and that list did not include Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.  HOWEVER, effective August 2nd, that will change for some types of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings.

As part of this project the NWS will start to “tag” Severe Thunderstorms – adding specific language in the warning to describe potential damage. Here are possible ways this will appear to the end user:

• A warning may be issued with no tag…  these are your run-of-the-mill severe thunderstorms that could produce quarter sized hail and/or 60 mph-ish winds.
• A warning may be issued with a “Considerable” damage tag…  a storm with this tag may be packing 70 mph or greater winds or golf ball or larger sized hail.
• A warning could also be issued with a “Destructive” damage tag…  these storms could produce 80 mph or greater winds or baseball and larger hail.

 
Beginning on the 2nd, if the NWS selects the “Destructive” tag for their Severe Thunderstorm Warning, that Warning will also get broadcast through the Wireless Emergency Alert system… which should cause a lot of noise on cell phones that are currently inside the warning polygon.  The NWS has shared a sample of what that alert may look like on your phone – see the included image. You can also do a little more reading on the topic by visiting the NWS website: https://www.weather.gov/news/072221-svr-wea.

Source Butler County EMA