Headline: "James Spann blasts number of false tornado warnings"

James Spann rocks!

Check out this article: blog.al.com...

In the post, the ABC 33/40 meteorologist criticizes what he considers a high false alarm rate by the National Weather Service in issuing tornado warnings, questions the utility of the siren alert system, and raises questions about practices in TV broadcasting.

"There is no reason that so many people had to die that day. I am trying to stimulate discussion," Spann said.

He's worried that people will get so desensitized to tornado warnings that they'll eventually begin to ignore them. This man is certainly a hero in my eyes.

I hope he is able to open some professional eyes in the industry.
He is demonstrating how we are once again held in a fear based system that can and will kill us.

Originally posted by Afterthought
I hope he is able to open some professional eyes in the industry.
He is demonstrating how we are once again held in a fear based system that can and will kill us.

This is a bunch of BS, in my opinion. I've studied weather for many years, and was even an intern at my local National Weather Service office before budget cuts closed that office.

He's complaining about too many tornado warnings that turn out to be false, but what do you think would happen if they cut back on the warnings, and then a real tornado didn't get a warning? There would be a huge outcry for someone's head on a platter.

Most weather radar systems can detect rotation within storms, as well as several other factors that are associated with tornadoes. Yes, there are many Doppler-indicated tornadoes that turn out to be false alarms. But the potential is there for a tornado to spawn when there is rotation in a storm.

The saying is: "It's better to be safe than sorry". His concerns will likely fall on deaf ears as I don't think anything will change.

However, as is always proven with time, the Doppler-indicated tornado detection will get fine-tuned and better as time goes on.

reply to post by _BoneZ_


I get what you're saying, but I grew up in an area where tornados happened a lot in the spring and early summer. We certainly didn't get them on a daily basis nor the warnings. It's becoming overkill anymore. Even twenty years ago, they had the technology to detect funnel clouds. Isn't our weather technology more sophisticated by now?

Another example aside from the tornado warning system that gets to me is the Fire Weather Advisories. I have the Desktop Weather download that gives me warnings regarding different weather conditions. Fire Weather Advisories are posted on a daily basis where I live. Yeah, it's dry, but do I have to be told daily that a fire might break out. This just seems to be another device of the nanny state and keep us in a state of fear.

Yeah, it's better to be safe than sorry, but what happens when people become complacent and begin ignoring the warnings? I guess that's why we have free will. Oh, well.

Originally posted by Afterthought
I guess that's why we have free will. Oh, well.

That's right. You have the freedom to ignore or act on those warnings. When a Doppler-indicated tornado warning is released, that means the potential is there for a tornado, regardless if an actual tornado has been spawned or not.

You are given the information, it then becomes your choice on how to react to that information.



And for the record, if someone gets tired of the false tornado warnings and starts disregarding them, and then they suffer a loss due to a warning they disregarded, guess who's responsibility that becomes? That someone who ignored the warnings. Because nobody will ever get to say that the warnings were never issued.

It's better to be safe than sorry...

I disagree whole heartedly with his statements. I live in an area where we are at risk for tornadoes year round. For example; we had a tornado strike here on New Years Eve. A tornado can and will strike at any moment. When there is a distinct hook echo and converging winds on radar, you have to issue a tornado warning. I'm glad when they go off because it takes guessing whether or not to take shelter out of my hands.