Color Inconsistencies across Hazardous Weather Watches and Warnings: Can Standardized Visual Representation of Risk Improve Public Safety?

Research has shown that the color used when providing hazardous threat information can influence perceived risk and thereby, how individuals respond to watches and warnings. Despite this understanding, there is no standardized color scheme for hazardous weather products across the weather enterprise. Furthermore, very little research has investigated how color influences people’s risk response to specific hazardous weather products. The objective of this research was to determine if the color inconsistencies of watch and warning weather products has a detrimental effect on that products intended message. In order to achieve the stated objective, two hypotheses were tested utilizing two public surveys. The first survey focused on people’s association of risk with the various primary and secondary colors while the second focused on people’s association of risk with hazardous weather products. Data from both surveys were analyzed utilizing the R statistical computing and graphics system. Preliminary results suggest that color inconsistencies of hazardous weather products (i.e. same product with different represented colors) have a detrimental effect on that product’s intended message. The first survey found that people use color to help determine risk, but also rely on whether the product is displayed as a filled or an outlined polygon/box. The colors red and orange were found to be associated with the highest risk perception, while blue and green had the lowest. Additionally, all colors in a filled polygon were perceived to have more risk than outlined polygons. The second survey suggested that the term “warning” is perceived to have more risk to the participant than the term “watch” for all hazardous weather types tested. Tornado warnings had the highest perception of risk while flash flood watches had the lowest risk perception. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that meteorologists should utilize a nationally uniform color scale based on risk to best represent hazardous weather products. The preliminary results from both surveys used together suggest that this national, uniform color scale based on risk should be implemented across all weather enterprise agencies and through all social media platforms. Understanding how the public interprets hazardous weather watches and warnings related to color, uniform colors, and public education will better assist in the communication of potentially life-saving information.