(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Thunderstorm season is here and it’s important to have a way to get informed when storms arrive and when they become strong to severe.
Back in 2021, The National Weather Service (NWS) updated how you get notified about severe storms and the damage they can bring.
Instead of the one-size-fits-all Severe Thunderstorm Warning that we’re accustomed to, the NWS added a “damage threat” tag to every single warning issued.
The three threat categories are “base”, “considerable” and “destructive”. Each provides its own description of what to expect with the severe thunderstorm affecting your area.
Storms with a “destructive” tag will meet these criteria.
- 2.75” (baseball-sized) hail and/or 80+ mph thunderstorm winds
- This will automatically trigger a wireless emergency alert on devices.
The criteria for a “base” severe thunderstorm warning are the most common and what typically see during a ‘low-end’ severe thunderstorm.
- 1.00 inch (quarter-sized) hail and/or 58 mph thunderstorm winds
- You will not get an alert on your phone with this type of warning (unless you are signed up for a different service or app that sends alerts for t-storm warnings)
Ways to get notified
All National Weather Service Severe Thunderstorm Warnings will continue to be issued and distributed via weather.gov, NOAA Weather Radio, and through Emergency Alert System.
Use the FOX21 Storm Team app for alerts wherever you are and the weather in your neighborhood.
