A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar, posing an imminent threat to an area. These warnings prompt individuals to seek immediate shelter. Modern technology, especially Doppler radar, plays a crucial role in detecting rotation within thunderstorms, enabling early warnings. However, visual confirmation from weather spotters, the public, law enforcement, or emergency management remains vital, especially when radar data is unavailable or has gaps. These observations serve as critical ground truth, particularly in areas with limited radar coverage, ensuring timely alerts even when technology falls short.
A fierce tornado swept across an Oklahoma town, accompanied by strong storms that produced hail. This severe weather event caused significant damage, necessitating repairs in Atoka and other areas. Hughes county also suffered the impact of the tornado.
In March 1925, the Tri-State Tornado, the deadliest tornado in U.S. history, occurred, highlighting the devastating impact of tornadoes before widespread warning systems were in place.
In 1925, the tornado death rate in the United States was 1.8 deaths per million people per year, highlighting the higher risk before widespread warning systems.
In 1938, the U.S. Weather Bureau lifted its prohibition on using the word "tornado" in weather products that were shared with emergency personnel, marking a change in policy regarding tornado terminology.
In April 1947, the Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes caused significant devastation and high death tolls, illustrating the need for improved tornado warning systems.
On March 20, 1948, a tornado struck Tinker Air Force Base after an erroneous forecast of dry conditions, causing an estimated $10 million in damages to military aircraft.
On March 25, 1948, the first official tornado forecast was made by United States Air Force Capt. Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush.
Prior to 1948, the USAF pioneered tornado forecasting and warnings, although John P. Finley had developed experimental forecasts in 1885. Due to the unreliability of forecasts, there was a steady increase in tornado-related fatalities, as events prior to 1948 (such as the Tri-State Tornado in March 1925 and the Glazier–Higgins–Woodward tornadoes in April 1947) had death tolls well over 100.
On March 25, 1949, Miller and Fawbush successfully predicted tornadic activity in southeastern Oklahoma, marking another milestone in their forecasting efforts.
On July 12, 1950, Chief of Bureau Francis W. Reichelderfer officially revoked the ban on issuing tornado warnings to the general public, advising Weather Bureau employees to avoid statements negating the Bureau's ability to make tornado forecasts.
In 1951, the Air Force established the Severe Weather Warning Center (SWWC) to disseminate severe weather forecasts to Weather Bureau offices and emergency personnel in tornado-prone regions, though the Weather Bureau later limited the release of tornado forecasts to military personnel due to jurisdictional concerns.
In March 1952, the Weather Bureau issued its first experimental public tornado forecast, which proved inaccurate and was released too late for widespread public consumption.
In 1954, meteorologist Harry Volkman broadcast the first televised tornado warning over WKY-TV in Oklahoma City, defying the FCC ban on broadcasting such warnings and leading to positive public feedback.
Following the 1974 Super Outbreak, discussions were held regarding the last officially issued tornado alert.
In 1974, the National Weather Service began to decrease its reliance on tornado alerts, an intermediate advisory indicating imminent tornado formation. Despite this, tornado alerts remained present on public information materials from media outlets and NWS offices for about a decade afterward.
In 1974, the average tornado warning times ranged from -10 to -15 minutes, indicating the challenges in providing timely alerts.
On May 3, 1999, the first tornado emergency was declared when an F5 tornado struck southern Oklahoma City, resulting in significant damage exceeding $1 billion.
By 2000, the tornado death rate in the United States had declined to 0.11 per million people per year, credited to improvements in the tornado warning system and increased reporting of severe weather.
On September 20, 2002, a tornado emergency was declared during the initial issuance of a tornado warning for an F3 tornado striking the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area.
Prior to October 2007, the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings on a per-county basis.
In 2008, Emergency Management Ontario implemented a system to issue red alerts for areas under a tornado warning, highlighting the integration of provincial alerting systems.
In March 2012, NWS offices in Kansas and Missouri began incorporating categorical tornado and damage threat indicators for visually confirmed and radar-indicated tornadoes as part of the Impact Based Warning (IBW) system.
In March 2013, the NWS expanded the threat and damage indicators of the IBW system to 33 additional Central Region Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs).
As of 2013, average tornado warning times have increased to about 15 minutes, with lead times sometimes extending to more than an hour, showcasing advancements in forecasting technology.
In March 2014, eight additional NWS offices operating within the Eastern, Southern and Western Region divisions began using the Impact Based Warning (IBW) indicators.
In 2016, the entire National Weather Service (NWS) agency began using the Impact Based Warning (IBW) format for tornado warnings.
On August 15, 2020, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for a pyrocumulonimbus cloud capable of producing a tornado in southeastern Lassen County, California, affected by the Loyalton Fire.
In July 2021, Impact Based Warning (IBW) formatting was fully implemented for other individual warning bulletins when all NWS offices incorporated damage threat indicators into severe thunderstorm warnings.
In April 2023, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker introduced the Tornado Observation Research Notification and Deployment to Operations (TORNADO) Act, aimed at improving NOAA's severe weather prediction and communication methods.
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