Weather Watches and Warnings
Watches
Watches are issued when conditions are favorable for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, or flash floods.
If you are in a “watch” area, continue with normal activities, but also make plans to seek shelter if necessary.
Warnings
Warnings are issued when severe weather has been reported or is imminent. Seek shelter immediately if you are in or near the path of the storm. Warnings are issued by county and city names. Make sure you know the name of the county in which you live or work and the names of the cities that surround you.
Advanced Information
The process of forecasting and warning begins days ahead of time, when the threat area is determined. Hazardous weather outlooks are issued early every morning and updated as conditions warrant.
If a Watch is Issued
When the National Weather Service issues a weather watch, local weather offices are staffed with extra personnel and notify state officials. They pass the information to the county and local level. Counties and cities activate their spotter groups as the threat increases. TV and radio stations pass the word along to the public.
If a Warning is Issued
Warnings are disseminated swiftly, using hotlines and other tools, including TV, radio and the internet. People may receive warnings via cell phones, pagers and other methods. Storm spotters provide constant reports and officials carry out plans developed by the Emergency Managers. Updates are issued frequently until the threat has ended.
Emergency Alert System
Media outlets receive warning information and provide it to you by interrupting programming or using a “crawl” or other visual message. Finally, the one-alert feature of a NOAA Weather Radio will also activate special receivers to sound an alarm to alert you to the danger.
County and local law enforcement centers are also warned of impending severe weather via special phone lines and radio systems.
Using the National Weather Services information, local and county officials decide whether to sound the outdoor warning sirens.
Personal Weather Alerts
The National Weather Service and many local media outlets offer electronic alerting services that provide email, RSS feeds or text messages to cell phones, computers or other devices, either directly or via services such as Facebook, Twitter or others. These messages are available by voluntary subscription and can provide local information on weather, including watches and warnings. The list below includes a sampling of various electronic alerting services in Minnesota:
Please keep in mind that message and data rates may apply from your mobile phone company or to keep the service free you may be asked to agree to receive emails or messages from sponsors of a particular website. Do some research on this feature and choose wisely.
