Are Increased Warning Times a Bad Thing?

[ScottCurry]

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/early-early-word-tornadoes-38620002

I found this interesting. In summary, don't tell the general public about a tornado until the last possible minute. When given a 1 hour warning time, people get in their cars to drive away, clogging the road ways and putting lives at risk. When given only a 15 minute warning time, people seek shelter.

 

[rdale]

That's what the forward plan is... Nobody is proposing that the NWS start issuing 60 minute lead time warnings for exactly those reasons. (Plus we can't predict a tornado's location an hour out.) But the Warn On Forecast paradigm will result in hospitals or large manufacturers getting a "tornado possible in an hour" type of message that at least allows them to step up preparations. Right now we have "Tornado watch: tornadoes possible in the next 8 hours" and then next message they get is "tornado warning, you have 15 minutes." The probabilistic stuff (for non-public consumption) fills that gap.

 

[dsheffield]

I can see that clogging the roadways is a problem, Dallas and OKC have proven that. But, everyone has to make a decision based on what they have for shelter. If you don't have a safe room or underground shelter and you know a large tornado is heading right at you, you should have the right to do what you need to do. I don't know if my walk out basement room will protect me in a large tornado, but it is the best I've got. Being in a car or out in the open, would be a nightmare. Sometimes, I think we go overboard trying to make sure we do everything we can, including thinking for, the public. I hate the thought that my car will drive for me!!! I actually believe that chasers and news helicopters help. When channel 4 in OKC is broadcasting funnels and locations, I can't stop watching and hoping everyone else is too. I live in a small town in Missouri with two lane roads everywhere and trying to beat a storm home is not fun.