Severe weather alerts are activated by county and provided in two formats including long and short. The long format alerts are highly detailed and best suited for email delivery while he short format has a limited number of characters, making it ideal for delivery to mobile devices.
NWS Severe Weather Alerts include:
Tornado Watches and Warnings
Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings
Flash Flood Watches and Warnings
Winter Storm Watches and Warnings
Tropical Storm and Hurricane Watches and Warnings
Below are some examples of long and short formats.
Short format:
NWS Issued Tornado Warning @ 11:51am CST for Sioux-IA.
Expires at 12:30pm CST
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Long format:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
2:15 PM MDT WED AUG 15 2007
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
WEST CENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
SOUTHERN DOUGLAS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
* UNTIL 300 PM MDT
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. THIS STORM
WAS LOCATED 2 MILES NORTH OF PERRY PARK...OR ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF
DENVER...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
PERRY PARK...LARKSPUR...FRANKTOWN...ELIZABETH AND
CASTLE ROCK.
THIS WARNING
REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR
SOUTHERN JEFFERSON AND WEST CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTIES UNTIL 215 PM.
SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL WITH THIS STORM AS
IT MOVED OVER THE FOOTHILLS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY.
HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES.
AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS THEY MAY BE WASHED
OUT. WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO RISE...THEREFORE
SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS.
IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS
OF 58 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
LAT...LON 3938 10500 3915 10514 3914 10456 3939 10457 $$ DANKERS