Rachel Reeves
Jennifer Tate
Aaron Treadway
Harold Brooks, NSSL
Kim Klockow, OU
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS IN THE CONTINENTAL
UNITED STATEShttp://weather.ou.edu/~warnstats/[email protected]
RESEARCH / DEVELOPMENT TOPIC
• Do different Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) warn storms differently?
• Did the switch from county-based warnings to polygon-based warnings change forecast quality?
GOALS
• Primary Goals:o Quantify size, shape, length of warning &
lead times of warningso Compute statistics to determine forecast
qualityo Analyze warning text for various selected
storms
• End Goal:o Compare the above results for different
WFOs
PLAN OF ATTACK• Use IEM Cow to collect data on all
warnings and local storm reports (LSRs) from 2005-2012
• Analyze collected data and compare by WFO and year
• Compare warning text of storms that crossed WFO boundaries
MAP OF WFOS
MOTIVATION
KSGF (Springfield) and KLZK (Little Rock) issue different warning types on the same stormPhoto from 1/29/13 22:33Z Courtesy of David Goines
IMPORTANCE OF PROJECT• Forecasters in adjacent WFOs should
have an idea of how WFOs around them warn
• Consistency between WFOs is important for the public's understanding of warnings
• Discrepancies between WFOs may warrant further research
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REFERENCES