The high wind warning dilemma

A “high wind warning” is issued when sustained winds of 40 mph or greater for an hour or gusts to 58 mph or greater are expected. These events are typically associated with non-convective synoptic scale systems and the warning often covers a large geographic region for several hours duration. Non-convective high winds cause extensive damage, injuries, and deaths in the United States. Many of the deaths are people outdoors or in their vehicle and most are the result of wind-related tree failures. It is clear that being inside a sturdy structure is protective during high winds.

The high wind warning does not elicit a protective response from the public due to the lack of immediacy with the high wind warning, the long duration of the warning, absence of drills or practice lessons, minimal preparedness efforts, and the lack of extensive damage from the threshold wind speeds. In addition, the NWS “call-to-action” statements often lack emphasis on the risks of personal injury. This research assesses the public's interpretation of and response to high wind warnings and the utility of a higher level warning for winds well above the high wind warning threshold.