The NWS just made an important change to severe thunderstorm warnings you should know about.
Severe thunderstorm warnings have been changed to bring more attention to higher-impact storms.The "destructive" category will now trigger an alert on your mobile device.
Severe thunderstorm warnings are commonly issued each year across the United States based on those criteria, especially east of the Rockies, where warm, humid air is often found during the spring and summer. You can see this on the map below, which shows the number of severe thunderstorm warnings each NWS office issued in 2020. In many cases, the number of warnings issued was over 100 per office.
Beginning Monday, the NWS will tweak how it issues severe thunderstorm warnings so that those higher-impact warnings receive a greater level of attention.The first warning category will be for a storm thatWarnings for a storm with a threat of significantly stronger winds and/or large hail will be placed in one of two higher-end categories.
An example of a "destructive" severe thunderstorm warning that would trigger a WEA is shown below. The potential for hail up to 3 inches in diameter - larger than baseballs - is what triggered the destructive wording in this case.According to the NWS, only 10% of all severe thunderstorms reach the "destructive" criteria each year across the country.