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National Weather Service Will Send Mobile Alerts for ‘Disruptive’


The agency said on Thursday that storms, which the National Weather Service described as “devastating”, will trigger an emergency alert on smartphones as part of the agency’s efforts to keep people protected during severe weather.

The Weather Service sends mobile alerts about hurricanes, tornadoes and other conditions, and starts next monthplans to add devastating thunderstorms to this list.

A “destructive” severe storm is one with baseball-sized hail or winds of at least 80 miles per hour, according to the agency. Greg Schoor, a severe weather program manager at the National Weather Service in Oklahoma, said these storms can rip tiles from a roof or cause branches to hit homes.

The agency’s local offices can triangulate all cell phones in an area and send an alert when forecasters see a dangerous storm is on its way. Alerts usually come without much lead time.

Mr Schoor said the agency chose to label these storms “destructive” because that word is often used in storm reports. The agency already has different labels to classify hurricanes and flash floods.

“We really just want people to pay attention,” Mr Schoor said in an interview on Thursday.

The agency hopes that the “destructive” label will make people realize that they need to take precautions to protect themselves. Mobile alerts will include Spanish translations and advise people to take shelter or avoid certain areas.

The agency hasn’t sent warnings about severe thunderstorms in the past, but Mr Schoor said it’s important for people to know whether it’s rain, hail or strong winds “if something really bad is going to happen”.

“We basically want you to do whatever you can to help your own safety at that moment,” he said.

Severe thunderstorms can cause a number of hazards, including hurricanes, flooding and flooding. derechoes, severe thunderstorms that can move rapidly across the landscape.

A mighty derecho It tore the Midwest in August, bringing with it 100-mph winds and widespread power outages.

Of the 22 most costly air disasters last year, 13 were severe storms. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Other disasters include forest fires in the West last year and the heatwave that ravaged the western half of the country.

The Weather Service’s new alert category comes as the United States sees an increase in the frequency of extreme rainstorms as the planet warms.

It is not possible to establish a direct link between a heavy downpour and climate change. Climate scientists can try to do this by taking on what’s known as climate change. association work, in the coming weeks or months.

But as warming continues, an increase in storms is likely to occur as warming continues in the United States and other parts of the world. One of the main reasons is that warmer air holds more moisture, which causes heavier rainstorms.



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