New Weather Warning System Debuts

The start of Spring also means the start of severe weather season, and starting today, the National Weather Service is kicking it up a notch when it sends out warnings about the weather.

FOX News Radio’s Jennifer Keiper explains:

Tornadoes occur on a wide spectrum, from a narrow, brief spin-up that might toss the trampoline that’s in the backyard…

(Fenelon) “To these large, wedge tornadoes that move through communities and just create destructive damage.”

And Ed Fenelon with the National Weather Service tells FOX News Radio it’s one of those big ones that will now include a warning using the word “catastrophic.”

(Fenelon) “These are going to be very, very rare.  In fact, few – if any folks, hopefully – will not experience one of these in their lifetime.  But when you do hear this type of wording, this is the time when you really do want to take some action and get to that place of shelter as quickly as you can.”

The more detailed weather warnings have been tested in Kansas and Missouri and starting today, it will spread to a dozen other states.  

When the EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri a couple of years ago, some people apparently didn’t take cover fast enough because they didn’t think it was that serious.  More than 160 people died.

Jennifer Keiper, FOX News Radio.

Editor’s Note: The 12 states joining Kansas and Missouri in the program are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.