Illustrated tornado from the book The Wizard of Oz
© W. R. Wright, Piglet Press Inc. (www.halcyon.com/piglet/)
Tornado Notification
Tornadoes are very dangerous so it's important to know when they may form
so you can take shelter. Forecastors at the National Weather Service are
always looking for possible storms. Even though nobody knows for certain
how tornadoes
form, they do know
when conditions are most likely for them to form. When the conditions
are likely, the Storm Prediction Center issues a tornado watch. These
watches usually last from four to six hours.
When a tornado watch is issued, local
storm spotter networks
activate. If a spotter sees a storm, the local Weather Service office
will issue a tornado warning for the local area near the tornado. They
can also issue warnings based on
radar images.
Meteorologists us certain radar echos to help
forecast tornadoes.
If there is a warning issued for your area, you may hear about it from
different sources. Most cities have tornado sirens to alert people to the
danger. Also, using a new network called the
Emergency Alert
System, people can hear about warnings right away. Unlike the
old system, the EAS will only notify you of warnings in your county and it
is able to electronically turn on your radio or television when there is
an emergency.
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