The Tornado Warning: Evaluating the Efficacy of Call-to-Action Statements

The tornado warning has become the most important product among the host of weather decision supplements that the National Weather Service (NWS) provides. Despite recent advancements in the science of risk perception and the rapid growth of information dissemination media, the text template for the tornado warning has not changed much since its inception in 1950. In this study, we seek to address the efficacy of the so-called “call-to-action statements” (CTAs) contained within the tornado warning – the text which outlines the threats and the recommended actions. The CTAs will be revised according to the findings in risk perception studies. Members of the public will be asked to consider several hypothetical tornado scenarios. In these, they will identify the CTA statements they consider the most likely to cause them to seek shelter and the statements with the clearest directives (the current CTAs will be included for comparison). Results will be analyzed according to demographical information using basic statistical methods. Recommendations will be made for possible applications in NWS warning operations.