apnews.com/article/severe-weather-tornado-emergency-watch-warning-35ffc2076cf09dd19ba38865f1c6df15
What is a tornado emergency and how is it different from a warning or a watch?
NewsThis is how it was explained to me when I moved here from the west coast. First tornado warning we had I screamed “we’re having tacos RIGHT NOW!” and everyone looked at me like I was crazy.
A midwesterner hears a tornado siren. Their actions, in order: -Look at watch/clock -Look out window -Turn on radio/TV/computer to their favorite station/weather app -Determine if action is necessary
My neighbor said “eh I’ll wait until it gets windier” but I was already down in that basement. Turns out the tornado touched down like 20 miles away so I was definitely in that basement looking like a fool. :)
That's a pretty damn good analogy
You can thank the Normal, IL Fire Department for coining that one. https://www.facebook.com/share/KnDUoiPiER6Pyrvk/?mibextid=WC7FNe
Apparently they tried it the year previous with cupcakes, but it didn’t resonate as well as tacos lol
I would add that in the case of a tornado emergency, there’s also a LOT of customers about to receive tacos. The National Weather Service doesn’t typically issue them for tornadoes that don’t pose a significant threat to an urban area regardless of severity.
I think it's more like
Tornado Emergency: We're having grande tacos and there's quite a crowd around the taco bar. They're going to get force-fed those grande tacos if they're not paying attention when we tell them to stop crowding the bar.
From what I've read the crucial difference from a basic warning is the strength of the tornado (at the stronger end of the EF scale) and proven visual or radar sightings in an area with a high probability of catastrophic damage or loss of life (such as more densely developed urban areas and suburbs), so you need to express the warning in severe enough terms to make sure the maximum number of people in the tornado's path are taking this seriously.
The article doesn't do a good job of spelling this out, though.
So tornado emergency basically covers a much larger area than a warning. Like during that big tornado outbreak of 2011 covering central US, some 360 total over a few days.
It doesn’t necessarily cover a larger area, just a more densely populated one.
See, I thought a warning meant one had actually touched down, but we had a warning in Lansing recently because weather conditions made it very likely. That to me sounds like a watch, so I was confused
You have it right. One was spotted. It technically doesn't need to be touched down though. Somebody could've seen something on radar that was still in the sky.
Per the NWS:
Tornado Warning: Take Action! A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
A warning doesn't necessarily mean a tornado has touched down. Weather radar is pretty accurate these days, but it's still not 100% and there can occasionally be false alarms.
indicated by weather radar
And there's the problem. Used to be someone had to actually see one
More Like: Tornado Emergency: The Taco bar is feasting on the customers.
That seems like a lot.
watCH = Could Happen
warniNG = Now Going on
emergenCY = Cover! You need it.
I see. Where do I find a taco emergency
Tornado emergencies are wild. It's funny that it feels like they were added in the 21st century to basically deal with the fact that so many people treat tornadoes as pedestrian entertainment.
Particularly dangerous situation is another warning that gives me chills as well.
Tornado emergencies are wild. It's funny that it feels like they were added in the 21st century to basically deal with the fact that so many people treat tornadoes as pedestrian entertainment.
There's something to that. I've known people to stand around drinking beer with the neighbors trying to spot one.
I think that attempts to warn more people can sometimes lead to people being desensitized too though. The tornado sirens by my house have gone off multiple times in the last couple years for Tornados that were 20 miles from me and moving in the opposite direction just because it was in the county I live in. That sort of thing can lead to an "Eh, it's probably nothing" mentality.
Hell, there's a video of the Dexter EF3 on YouTube that's taken from some family's porch.
The first-ever tornado emergency in Michigan was issued Tuesday, one of many called across the country in recent weeks as severe weather tears through states in the Plains and Midwest. As massive storms barrel East, homes and property have been destroyed and thousands of people have gone without power.
Here’s what to know about a tornado emergency: https://apnews.com/article/severe-weather-tornado-emergency-watch-warning-35ffc2076cf09dd19ba38865f1c6df15
What got me was they kept stressing that these were "extremely dangerous tornadoes" As opposed to what, friendly tornadoes? Are they trying to imply that a small tornado isn't dangerous? Only one tornado isn't dangerous?
These hunt in packs. The first tornado distracts you as you sit on your porch watching it move away from you. Meanwhile, BAM, the second tornado quietly sneaks up from the side like a Velociraptor
An EF0 or EF1 with 90-100 mph winds will mess things up a bit but most houses will be standing. If there’s not stuff blowing around, you will probably survive just standing outside…
Stronger tornados will destroy more things and the debris blowing around makes it worse. The wind is something to fear, and can level houses. But I don’t wanna get hit by a car blowing around at 170mph
As Ron White said, "It's not THAT the wind is blowin'....it's WHAT the wind is blowin'."
Was wondering this as well, but watching Ryan Hall Y'all yesterday and Andy Hill mentioned that one of the storms they were watching was "1 MPH away from being a Tornado Emergency" so it appears to be based on Wind speeds and population densities where the storms are from what I can tell.
Love watching those streams. Just a note that other than some pretty specific equipment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppler_on_Wheels?wprov=sfti1#History_and_deployment) we don’t really have the capability to judge wind speed of a tornado.
They estimate speeds after the fact based on damage to structures
Don't forget the PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Warning. This comes between a regular Tornado Warning and a Tornado Emergency. This type of warning happens when a tornado is confirmed to be on the ground and doing significant damage.
Taco analogy equivalent of "I just got a text from the delivery driver showing a picture confirmation that they dropped off our massive taco order"
Tornado Watch: we have the ingredients for tacos. Beef, lettuce, tomato, tortillas, onions, cilantro, cheese.
Tornado Warning: We're having Tacos. Right now.
Tornado Emergency: There's a taco buffet and We're going to force feed them to you.