Storytelling with Storms and Storm Prediction

Chapter 1: A couple of significant severe weather events from 2015 will be highlighted through the use of outlooks and technical discussions generated by forecasters at the NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC). New descriptive categories, tied to forecast probabilities, were introduced in early 2014. In addition to verifying the new categories for these events, we will describe the probabilistic forecast process and how it relates to the categorical description of hazardous weather outcomes.

Chapter 2: SPC watch product updates will be described. Similar to the new SPC outlook categories, these changes are focused on better descriptive wording in tornado and severe thunderstorm watches. Not only should the new words align with forecaster confidence in severe weather occurrence, the wording should be accessible to, and understood by, the general public. What, when, why, and how stories can be constructed from the new information contained in SPC products. When paired with graphical data/maps available through SPC and elsewhere, these stories can be conveyed by broadcasters to help educate, inform, and ideally spur life-saving actions when dangerous weather is imminent.