Changing Behavior? Comparing Public Responses to Base vs. Impact-Based Tornado Warnings

Using feedback from Warning Forecast Offices (WFOs), emergency managers (EMs), and media partners, ERG designed a public survey to evaluate the influence of impact-based tornado warnings on public responses to hypothetical warning scenarios. The survey was implemented in four states (North Carolina, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Alabama) to an internet panel of approximately 500 respondents in each state, producing a total of 1,901 completed surveys. In this presentation, we discuss the results of this survey by highlighting the extent to which impact statements, source information (radar indicated vs. confirmed tornado), impact tags, and alternative language (tornado emergency vs. PDS) change the way that various populations respond to base (non-IBW) tornado warnings.