Unfortunately I have been looking through the filtered severe weather reports and I noticed more fatalities and injuries from the most recent severe weather event. This event, of course stemmed from yesterdays enhanced risk, and the slight risk on 2/5/2020.
One of the fatalities was tornado related (this was on 2/5) and there was also 1 injury that was from the same tornado. But what is interesting to me is that the other 2 fatalities and 7 injuries where all wind related. There has always been unfortunately injuries and fatalities from damaging wind, but something about these types of events bothers me, and I think that the obsession around tornadoes being the most dangerous severe weather threat has something to do with it. We get so wrapped up about tornadoes that during days of severe weather I think that its the only thing people pay attention to, if a severe t-storm warning is issued we don't blink an eye. Maybe i'm wrong but i feel that a good portion of the fatalities and injuries that happened throughout this event, could have been prevented by the way severe weather is covered, and even the way the storms are warned.
In a sense i feel like severe thunderstorms are harder to issue than tornadoes. I mean if you think about it severe thunderstorm warnings are all over the place. I've been in a severe t-storm warned for 70+ mph winds, my weather station (set up to get proper wind readings from all directions) recorded a max gust of 28 mph on that storm, and i was right in the core of it. Now this is not the NWS fault there is not much you can do about it. But other times I've gotten 76 mph readings on a t-storm issued for 60 mph. I'm sure some of you guys have had experiences like this, my point is severe t-storms can be extremely unpredictable. And we may not be able to give the exact wind speed for every storm with 100% accuracy, but i do feel like at the end of the day there is something to be said about how we warn these storms to the general public, and changing the culture around how the public views these storms threat.
Anyway enough of the rant, condolences to anyone affected by any of these fatalities or injuries. What do you guys think about it?
One of the fatalities was tornado related (this was on 2/5) and there was also 1 injury that was from the same tornado. But what is interesting to me is that the other 2 fatalities and 7 injuries where all wind related. There has always been unfortunately injuries and fatalities from damaging wind, but something about these types of events bothers me, and I think that the obsession around tornadoes being the most dangerous severe weather threat has something to do with it. We get so wrapped up about tornadoes that during days of severe weather I think that its the only thing people pay attention to, if a severe t-storm warning is issued we don't blink an eye. Maybe i'm wrong but i feel that a good portion of the fatalities and injuries that happened throughout this event, could have been prevented by the way severe weather is covered, and even the way the storms are warned.
In a sense i feel like severe thunderstorms are harder to issue than tornadoes. I mean if you think about it severe thunderstorm warnings are all over the place. I've been in a severe t-storm warned for 70+ mph winds, my weather station (set up to get proper wind readings from all directions) recorded a max gust of 28 mph on that storm, and i was right in the core of it. Now this is not the NWS fault there is not much you can do about it. But other times I've gotten 76 mph readings on a t-storm issued for 60 mph. I'm sure some of you guys have had experiences like this, my point is severe t-storms can be extremely unpredictable. And we may not be able to give the exact wind speed for every storm with 100% accuracy, but i do feel like at the end of the day there is something to be said about how we warn these storms to the general public, and changing the culture around how the public views these storms threat.
Anyway enough of the rant, condolences to anyone affected by any of these fatalities or injuries. What do you guys think about it?
