Record setting rainfall may not be what we first associate with severe weather in Nebraska but that is what parts of the state received on Monday, the first day of Nebraska’s Severe Weather Awareness Week . The special week continues through Friday.
For residents of the plains, spring often brings outbreaks of severe weather which may include thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes.
Nebraskans now have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. One of the first ways was the civil defense sirens which most communities still have. Fifty years ago Superior residents relied on a series of blasts from a siren mounted atop the auditorium. One blast was a time signal. Three was notification of a fire and six blasts signalled the approach of a tornado. While many people still rely on the sirens which now have tones to signal the kind of alert being distributed, the weather service has reminded people the sirens were designed as outdoor warning devices. As homes become better insulated and tighter along with the growth in devices which provide background noise, the weather service warns the sirens should not be relied upon when indoors.
Monday the National Weather Service provided information on WEA (wireless emergency alert). The NWS said at some point most people with compatible mobile devices have received a WEA which allows them to receive geographically targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in that area.
When one of those messages is received, the recipients need to know the difference between watches and warnings. A watch provides time for people to prepare and be alert to worsening conditions. A warning means severe weather is an immediate threat and action should be taken.
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