The National Weather Service (NWS) communicates weather threats to partners and constituents via a product called the impact-based warning. The Impact-Based Warning has been updated to better meet societal needs in the most life-threatening weather events. They will now provide more detailed information for media and emergency managers, facilitating improved public response and decision making.
The impact-based warnings are formatted to break down hazardous weather information into easy-to-identify categories such as “Hazard,” “Source,” and “Impacts.” For certain hazards, this format also includes “event tags” at the bottom that specify details such as overall risk level, anticipated damage, and magnitude. These tags help users quickly identify potential high impacts, allowing them to take action faster. Tags that indicate especially serious impacts will also trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on mobile phones.
The NWS Impact-Based Warnings factsheet provides a detailed explanation of the product formatting and types of event tags.
Improving efficiency in decision making
Impact-based warnings are designed to improve the user’s ability to:
For more information about the impact-based warning project, please contact:
Keith Sherburn, Ph.D.
NWS Severe Weather Program Coordinator
Keith.Sherburn@noaa.gov
931-626-7139
