Changes begin to NWS severe thunderstorm warnings

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The National Weather Service is making changes to the way you receive severe thunderstorm warnings beginning Monday, August 2.

A severe thunderstorm warning is issued when a storm has at least one of the following: wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, hail at least one inch in diameter or a tornado. Now, the National Weather Service is further breaking down severe thunderstorm warnings into three categories to help convey different levels of a storm threat.

Severe thunderstorm warnings with wind gusts of 58 mph and/or one inch (quarter-sized) hail will be labeled with the tag “base.” Storms with the potential for wind gusts of 70 mph or greater and/or 1.75″ diameter hail (golf ball-sized) will be labeled with the tag “considerable”. Finally, severe thunderstorms with wind gusts of 80 mph or more and/or 2.75″ diameter hail (baseball-sized) will be labeled with the tag “destructive”.

“Destructive” severe thunderstorms will activate a wireless emergency alert, or WEA, to your mobile phone going forward. If you have these alerts turned on, you will receive the alert automatically.

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