Storm Prediction Center (SPC) severe weather product improvement plans and a review of statistical information available on the SPC website

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center is the nation's primary source for tornado and severe thunderstorm watch information. As such, these particular products must adhere to stringent guidelines with respect to formatting and disemination. Since the initial adoption of the "Watch by County" (WBC) program in 2005, several key features of the watch product suite have been identified for redesign to better meet customer needs and improve disemination efficiency. Given that broadcast meteorologists play a crucial role in conveying hazardous weather information to the public, the SPC is keenly interested in a dialog with broadcasters prior to any changes to the severe weather/tornado watch program. We will briefly describe the current method of watch issuance and disemination and indicate those areas where improvements can be made. The impacts and benefits of these improvements on users of watch information will be dicussed and feedback will be encouraged from the broadcast meteorologist community.

The second part of this presentation will explore the wealth of information available to broadcast meteorologists from the SPC website. We will focus primarily on summary and statistical information about tornadoes and how this information is compiled throughout the year. It is often difficult to place a particular severe weather season, or event, in climatological perspective. The demand for this type of information is often greatest during, or immediately following, an active severe weather episode. This presentation will provide broadcasters with a solid background on some of the key SPC web-based products that can help answer questions about the climatology of severe weather in the United States.