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Weather Warnings about to become more localized and complex

B

BDBopper

Take a look at this:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2776.htm

I think this is great, but it is going to become much more difficult for broadcast TV stations to inform their viewers of warnings. Instead of a map and a scroll being able to cover it, things are going to be different.

Could it be possible for stations to send warning information to affected areas (and only those affected areas...or in close proximity) with the new digital signals? For example what if there is a tornado three counties to the West of where I live, would it be possible for the broadcast network send a warning alert crawl just to the affected area and areas downwind instead of the entire broadcast area? Wouldn't that be neat?
 
Brian Donegan said:
Take a look at this:

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2776.htm

I think this is great, but it is going to become much more difficult for broadcast TV stations to inform their viewers of warnings. Instead of a map and a scroll being able to cover it, things are going to be different.

Could it be possible for stations to send warning information to affected areas (and only those affected areas...or in close proximity) with the new digital signals? For example what if there is a tornado three counties to the West of where I live, would it be possible for the broadcast network send a warning alert crawl just to the affected area and areas downwind instead of the entire broadcast area? Wouldn't that be neat?
Click to expand...

Are you saying that the networks won't just have a ticker at the bottom of the screen durring prime time tv anymore?
 
The Weather Service has been issuing "polygon warnings" for a while now. I haven't noticed any TV stations changing their graphics
 
Right. the NWS has been issuing polygon warnings but when issuing those warnings up to this point the NWS has been using County names. As of October they will not be doing so any longer. I will use Fulton County Georgia for an example. Fulton County is the county that Atlanta is in, but the county itself is huge. Currently a warning will be for Fulton or half of the county (North/South). Under this new system instead of Fulton (or half of it) a warning would be for Roswel or East Point. Kinda hard to color a map based on county warnings for a warning display for such a small area in comparison.
 
Here's a real mess to consider: for years weather radios have been sold that can be programmed to pick up watches and warnings for specific counties using a code. Does this change mean that the radios won't pick up any watches or warnings at all since the counties will no longer be listed?
 
to answer your question I am not sure. I know that in the near future the annual Severe Weather conference (or whatever the event on the U of Oklahoma and NWS campus in Norman) will be held. I am certain this will be discussed and they are usually pretty good at releasing the presentations to the public in PowerPoint form. I think what may happen is that County might be listed (at least to begin with) ex Roswell in Fulton County. That would utilize the SAME encoding in the modern weather-band radios. But reality is anyone's guess.
 
They about have to keep using the SAME encoding because it is part of the EAS standard.
 
Of course we're dealing with Government and they are not always going to do what makes sense because that's the nature of government.
 
Brian Donegan said:
Of course we're dealing with Government and they are not always going to do what makes sense because that's the nature of government.
Click to expand...

Yes. Regardless of who is in power.
Oops...sorry, I guess I better not say anything more or this whole thread will get relocated to the new political board. ;D
 
KMBC in Kansas City uses those polygon warnings on its full map graphics. No one can really make that fit onto the small county maps in the lower corner of the monitor.
 
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