Oklahoma Severe Weather Discussion - April 2012

[ou48A]

From Meteorologist Aaron Tuttle
http://www.facebook.com/ATsFans

URGENT UPDATE: I just finished looking over the morning computer models and things have gone from bad to worse. The trend continues to show grave concern. We are in store for a 2 day outbreak of deadly tornadoes beginning this afternoon. There is a High Risk from the SPC tomorrow but there should be one today as well, if at least not a Moderate. Doesn't matter, don't let that affect you either way.... The point is we have two unique atmospheric conditions setting up which will give us the same result each day. Storms should start to fire by 4pm across W/SW/S/C OK and continue to develop during the overnight. The tornado threat increases exponentially after dark, but that's not to say there won't be short lived quick ones before dusk. I do expect them. The long track long lived ones may hold off until after dusk when we are all most vulnerable. The storms will continue through much of the night over the state before ending by day break.

The next round for Saturday still appears to hold off until late in the day, near dusk for another evening event. As the 1st round will work over the atmosphere to help stabilize it. This is the kind of situation where unfortunately people die. There's only so much you can do to take responsibility for yourself and loved ones. For one, find a sturdy shelter, two get a NOAA weather radio and pay attention, and three pray. I have a very bad feeling about this. I hope I am wrong though. Too many things are pointing to one of the nastiest events we've seen over this region in a long time.

Also, OK is not alone in this. N TX up to NE and points East will be affected also. This will be a storm system for the record books folks. I don't often get worked up over events until I see a setup that looks to take lives from strong tornadoes such as EF4s and EF5s, especially at night. This is one of those. Don't panic, just prepare. Be safe!

[SoonerBeerMan]

I saw his post on FB...there's a fine line between providing information and warning the public, and over-dramatizing the information and scaring the public. This guy is doing the latter. He's got people freaked out, anxious, and worried sick. Its dumb and counterproductive.

[NoOkie]

I saw his post on FB...there's a fine line between providing information and warning the public, and over-dramatizing the information and scaring the public. This guy is doing the latter. He's got people freaked out, anxious, and worried sick. Its dumb and counterproductive.

I'm with you on this. Though it is enough to motivate me to finally go purchase a weather radio. Day time tornadoes mostly fascinate me, but the idea of damaging ones at night gives me the willies.

[Boomer3791]

Is there an iPhone app that works like a weather radio?

[SoonerBeerMan]

I saw that News9 has a weather app that will stream their live weather coverage that they broadcast on tv. But one that acts like a weather radio, I'm not sure of.

[NoOkie]

Is there an iPhone app that works like a weather radio?

I assume so, I have one for my android phone that will post alerts and make noise for them.

[John1744]

Don't depend on you're cell for coverage during severe weather. During the 2010 tornado outbreak near Harrah and Little Axe my AT&T iPhone was unusable for many hours during the event.

[Roadhawg]

Is there an iPhone app that works like a weather radio?

I don't know about iPhone but I have weather radio on my Android.

[FritterGirl]

Would a conventional battery operated radio work? Outside of some that have a hand-crank feature, what is the advantage of a weather radio specifically?

[silvergrove]

What's your weather radio app on Android? Is it Scanner Radio?

[FritterGirl]

Is there an iPhone app that works like a weather radio?

I just did a search in the app store. There are several apps, ranging from 99 cents to $4.99 for the official NOAA app. NOAA's has 132 ratings and ranks at 4 stars. Don't know much about them. But I would think that if ATT service were affected, it wouldn't help.

[adaniel]

Would a conventional battery operated radio work? Outside of some that have a hand-crank feature, what is the advantage of a weather radio specifically?

The NOAA weather radios broadcast the official NWS radio feed (the weird robot voice). In addition it can sound an alarm at night should a tornado warning be issued in your area.

[skanaly]

I live in Edmond...and from what I have heard about the storms tonight, I'm screwed

[Jim Kyle]

what is the advantage of a weather radio specifically?

It receives broadcasts direct from the NWS, not relayed through a commercial operation. It also sounds a very loud alarm when a critical watch arrives, enough to wake up most folk, and can be set to respond only to things affecting your own choice of counties...

[Dubya61]

The downside of a weather radio, if you live at the corner of four counties like I do is that you are woken up every night during the Spring in Oklahoma for the threat of a thunderstorm in one of the nearby counties ... until the cats break the antenna and it won't receive a thing.

[adaniel]

I saw his post on FB...there's a fine line between providing information and warning the public, and over-dramatizing the information and scaring the public. This guy is doing the latter. He's got people freaked out, anxious, and worried sick. Its dumb and counterproductive.

I saw that too and I cringed...the increasingly apocalyptic language is a major reason why people have stopped taking weather warnings seriously.

The twitter feed under the hashtag #okwx right now reads like the script of a disaster movie. There needs to be a balance between informing the public and just saying things to get a temporary rise out of people.

[BrettM2]

The Weather Channel app is saying a few may be severe tonight and that there is just a light chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Why the massive disconnect between them and the locals? Don't they use the same information?

[Roadhawg]

What's your weather radio app on Android? Is it Scanner Radio?

it's American Weather Radio... I just did a search on weather radio

[jn1780]

The Weather Channel app is saying a few may be severe tonight and that there is just a light chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Why the massive disconnect between them and the locals? Don't they use the same information?

I don't know. Thats not what their saying on TV or their website. Their 'TorCon' index that they completely made up has central Kansas at 8 and 7 for central OK.

[SoonerDave]

The Weather Channel app is saying a few may be severe tonight and that there is just a light chance of thunderstorms tomorrow. Why the massive disconnect between them and the locals? Don't they use the same information?

Could be a matter of updating their regional forecast with later models. I think the most recent info from the NWS I've seen is what's been, shall we say, more aggressively worded than the earlier warnings.

Also, the one recurring theme Venture pointed out was that there was some inconsistency in the models that affected the prediction of how widespread the thunderstorm activity would become. One way, you'd predict widespread coverage of storms, but given the other way, storms could be more isolated, but just as severe.

So, add that up, and it becomes a matter of, yes, there will almost certainly be severe weather, but the probability of it occurring at any one, designated point may be much more difficult to predict due to the disagreement of the models.

I may have some detail here incorrect that Venture or someone else can correct, but I think that's the bottom line. It could be that the literal probability of precip at any one point (or within a certain radius of that point, 25 mi I think is the range NWS uses) may be small, which would make that Weather Channel forecast accurate, setting aside the severity component.

[SoonerDave]

Looks like storms are forming in SW OK, between Lawton and Hobart, and appear to be moving NE at a pretty good clip..

[OKCTalker]

Is there an iPhone app that works like a weather radio?

Yes - The iMap Weather Radio. I've used since last year and it is excellent. An update gave users more control over customization so, for example, you won't get hurricane warnings unless you want them.

Hang tight everybody.

[NoOkie]

I just use simple weather alert. It's low resources and is pretty configurable.

[SoonerDave]

NWS has issued a Tornado Watch through 9pm for central and SW OK, including Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian, and other metro counties.

http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/w...ornado%20Watch

[Roadhawg]

Channel 9 is getting into the act as well.... "News 9 Weather Team: Get Ready For Tornadoes, Hail, Damaging Winds"