Anyway, this week across our area is Severe Weather Awareness Week. Each day this week, I want to refresh you on how you can prepare yourself for severe weather and how you can stay up to date with the latest weather conditions.
Today, I will keep it simple and distinguish the difference between a Severe Thunderstorm/Tornado WATCH and a WARNING.
A Watch and a Warning are two different animals, they come from two different sources, but there is a marriage between them. Originating from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Oklahoma, a group of meteorologists keep a sharp eye on possible severe weather for the entire United States.
On a given day, if they believe there is a large area that could see severe weather, they are the ones that issue a watch. Depending on the type of conditions in the atmosphere, a Severe Thunderstorm or a Tornado WATCH will be issued for a large area that could exceed several states and cover a few thousand squared miles.
The above image is an example of a product issued by the SPC, for a Tornado Watch. Basically, a WATCH means that atmospheric conditions are prime for the development for severe thunderstorms. However, these conditions are not happening just yet. A watch box is issued to prepare you for development that could happen in a matter of minutes, or even a few hours from when the alert is posted. For the areas within the box and for regions surrounding the altered locations, you should always keep your guard up and stay tuned for rapidly changing weather conditions.
Note: Sometimes severe weather can strike even if a watch is not posted.
In the event a single storm develops severe characteristics, a WARNING will be issued for the specific storm, for certain locations. A warning looks like a watch box, but is much smaller and pin points the exact locations that will see threatening weather. Additionally, the SPC does not issue warnings. Warnings are posted by your local National Weather Service (NWS). For the Brazos Valley, the Houston/Galveston NWS office, they issue warning for Brazos, Madison, Grimes, Washington and Burleson counties. For Robertson, Milam and Leon counties, the Fort Worth NWS office issues warnings.
Just like the watch box, a warning is a polygon that encompasses areas currently affected by the severe storms, and locations that will likely see threatening weather.
Whenever severe weather strikes the SPC, NWS and KAGS-HD will keep you informed with the latest conditions and who will be affected. Also, if you have any reports of severe weather; rainfall amounts, hail size, wind speeds, please report these to the National Weather Service and KAGS-HD
For more, you can log onto my facebook page: www.facebook.com/KAGSweather
Or on Twitter: @KAGSweather
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