LJWorld.com

Zype (Anonymous) says…

So who wants to take up bets on whether or not the sirens will sound if a warning is issued?

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Tornado watch does not equal tornado warning.

Try to keep up.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

For those of you who still don't know the difference:
(From the NWS)

“Tornado Watch
This is issued by the National Weather Service when conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area. Their size can vary depending on the weather situation. They are usually issued for a duration of 4 to 8 hours. They normally are issued well in advance of the actual occurrence of severe weather. During the watch, people should review tornado safety rules and be prepared to move a place of safety if threatening weather approaches.

A Tornado Watch is issued by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Oklahoma. Prior to the issuance of a Tornado Watch, SPC will usually contact the affected local National Weather Forecast Office (NWFO) and they will discuss what their current thinking is on the weather situation. Afterwards, SPC will issue a preliminary Tornado Watch and then the affected NWFO will then adjust the watch (adding or eliminating counties/parishes) and then issue it to the public. After adjusting the watch, the NWFO will let the public know which counties are included by way of a Watch Redefining Statement. During the watch, the NWFO will keep the public informed on what is happening in the watch area and also let the public know when the watch has expired or been cancelled.”

– As opposed to:

“Tornado Warning
This is issued when a tornado is indicated by the WSR-88D radar or sighted by spotters; therefore, people in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. They can be issued without a Tornado Watch being already in effect. They are usually issued for a duration of around 30 minutes.

A Tornado Warning is issued by your local National Weather Service office (NWFO). It will include where the tornado was located and what towns will be in its path. If the tornado will affect the nearshore or coastal waters, it will be issued as the combined product—Tornado Warning and Special Marine Warning. If the thunderstorm which is causing the tornado is also producing torrential rains, this warning may also be combined with a Flash Flood Warning. If there is an ampersand (&) symbol at the bottom of the warning, it indicates that the warning was issued as a result of a severe weather report.

After it has been issued, the affected NWFO will followed it up periodically with Severe Weather Statements. These statements will contain updated information on the tornado and they will also let the public know when warning is no longer in effect.”

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

I was just out shopping and it looked like rain. It kind of surprised me that there is a tornado watch. I don't think it would hurt to give a short blast on them right now to prompt people to tune in and give a listen, in case they've been so busy with outdoor activities they hadn't noticed.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

No one has been advocating that we use the sirens for a tornado watch. If that were the case, then your desensitization arguments would actually apply. What we are advocating is that the sirens be used during a tornado warning, like we were under on May 2. As you should know by now, we are only under a tornado warning when there is actually a tornado. Bob Newton refused to acknowledge this and put lives at risk by not sounding the sirens.

Tornado warning = actual tornado
Bob Newton = irresponsible idiot

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

The straw man and slippery slope fallacies seem to run rampant here. Keep trying though, maybe some idiots will fall for it.

These are the facts:

- NWS issued tornado warning on May 2
- NWS issued tornado warnings are extremely rare
- Tornado on the ground in Douglas County on May 2 during the tornado warning
- Zero visibility at the time due to horrendous storm, middle of the night, and loss of power
- Bob Newton still demanded that spotters actually see the tornado before he would sound the sirens
- The sirens were not sounded
- Severe damage occurred within the radii of tornado sirens in Douglas County
- The tornado actually did touch down within the radii of tornado sirens in Douglas County

These are the facts, and they are undisputed.

Now, if you have a comment that actually pertains to the FACTS, then have at it. Otherwise, you are wasting everyone's time with your speculation and fallacious bantering.

chuckabee24 (Anonymous) says…

*Insert pithy, yet witty, comment here*

frwent (Anonymous) says…

Well said, KSA. But I will bet a few fajitas that the next time the sirens go off, there will be a few who will rush out into the front yard and look up at the sky. But seriously, the present policy is flawed and the community is in danger of the weather that we experience at this time of the year. Anyone who becomes complacent to the weather danger is a fool and the government cannot protect fools.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

Tornadoes at night are the deadliest because people are asleep, and the tornadoes are harder to see at night.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

I think they should probably change the policy to make it default to a siren if there is a tornado warning, but maybe a short siren. If they have it on for a while, then turn it off, people might think the danger is passed. IF they just turn it on briefly but the storm continues, you would hope people realize there is danger and turn on their radios.

THen of course if there are actual touchdowns or spottings they should really blast them, but they might want to localize them to the specific area of intense danger.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

Don't triviilze the dangers of a tornado, mr buthole_is_geting warmer, several dozen people were killed by tornadoes in Arkansas last week.

frwent (Anonymous) says…

Ahhh, just ignore idiots like Mr Warmer, there are all sorts out there and it would follow that a few ignorant and jealous persons would gravitate to this site and this forum.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

here's something
Ex-manager says OJ Simpson confessed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080510/ap_o…

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

overwhelmingly damage was caused in DG co, and lawrence *by high straightline winds*.

the policy apparently doesn't allow for warning via apparently leavenworth co has it in their policy for sirens to warn for high winds in absence of tornado.

the other night, I was listening to the spotters, and they did report the high straightline winds. this part of the policy really should be changed.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

How did you listen to the spotters? Do you mean May2?

Rickyonealku (Anonymous) says…

Just call Norman, Oklahoma the National Storm Weather Center.

notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

FYI, you can check this link at any time:

http://www.weather.gov/alerts/ks.html

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Cold front winds just hit the SW.
No 80mph though.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

/o.con.ktop.wi.y.0012.080511t0100z- 080511t1200z/ douglas-lyon-osage- including the cities of…lawrence… emporia 442 pm cdt sat may 10 2008
…wind advisory remains in effect from 8 pm this evening to 7 am cdt sunday…

a wind advisory remains in effect from 8 pm this evening to 7 am cdt sunday.

strong northwest winds will develop behind a cold front early this evening and continue into sunday morning. northwest winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts around 45 mph are expected.

take action to secure trash cans… lawn furniture…and other loose or lightweight outdoor objects. the expected wind speeds can make driving difficult…especially for high profile vehicles. use extra caution.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Neosho Mo got torn up today.

youngitized (Anonymous) says…

IGW, you are annoying.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

I meant, did you listen to them live, or did you find them on the web someplace?

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

chuckabee24 (Anonymous) says…

*Insert pithy, yet witty, comment here*
–––––—
Thanks for the lol!
You might want to add *..water resistant, well-tethered,Dolby NR..*

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“According to NWS the average number of tornados in Kansas each year is 47…that averages almost 4 for each month if you spread it out over a year; since there usually isn't a whole lot of tornadic activity in the winter months that number per month would be a whole lot higher in the summer…so if 'NWS issued tornado warnings are extremely rare' they're apparently missing a lot of them—there should be several each month. Is that 'extremely rare'? not to me.”

You cherry pick your statistics. Let's try relevant statistics, moron.. Exactly how many tornado warnings are issued in Douglas County per year? (since that is the subject of our conversation - tornado warnings in Douglas County)

Of course there are a lot of tornadoes and tornado warnings in Kansas. We are not talking about Kansas. We are talking about Douglas County. No one is advocating that we sound the sirens when there is a tornado warning in Stanton County.

How dumb are you? Or, as someone else put it, what planet are you from? Good God, I pity anyone who has to deal with you in person.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“KSA writes: “The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Sound the sirens!””

Right, that logically follows from “NWS issued tornado warnings are extremely rare”

Do you actually have anything to add to this conversation, or are you only capable of ad hominem attacks with no factual or logical basis?

…me thinks the hyphen says it all.

MrMosmo (Anonymous) says…

I think that tornados, watch and warning is irrelevant, is a government conspiracy to distract us from the rising gas prices…. When that siren sounds you might want to get to a gas station quickly and fill up before the prices go way up, AGAIN… then hurry home and hide in the basement with your cheetos and beer.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

My ex now has the Chicken Little complex with MRSA.
If someone gets any cut or illness,
it's mrsa! it's mrsa!!!

bearded_gnome (Anonymous) says…

jerry,
no, as far as I know, the douglas county weather spotters aren't on the web.
most counties who have skywarn spotters in the u.s. use amateur radio operators. here in dg co because of some querk in local history, the spotters are not hams but volunteers serving directly under E.M. and using county issued radios. they operate on a county freq you can monitor with almost any scanner radio.

***
multi, MRSA is worth being concerned about, it nearly killed mrs. gnome last fall…no, not kidding.

mooner (Anonymous) says…

I can't remember hearing any tests of the sirens lately.

Maybe they are broken and don't want us to know it.

monkeyspunk (Anonymous) says…

Wow, its_getting_warmer is calling someone a sissie from behind an anonymous newspaper blog login.

Feeling manly today?

mooner (Anonymous) says…

its_getting_warmer is mostly a name caller.

KSA has presented an excellent, comprehensive argument supporting his position, for those that might have tuned out earlier due to assinine, abusive posts.

55yearLawrencian (Anonymous) says…

its_getting_warmer:

actually it appears that you were the one who resorted to incivility first.

you say “Ha! yea, that's right Mooner. IGW did indeed call KSA names. Because KSA is so civil here (not even counting other threads on this topic) , such as:” which implies that you were reacting, when the exact opposite is true

why are you people defending the county emergency management people? they clearly were in the wrong and are now just making up excuses after the fact to cover their behinds. why are you falling for this?

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

gnome,
The comment was more to the ex's feeling that someone was always ill. If not a child, then a pet.
If he saw something on TV, he also had those symptoms.

I could very well have it, or just repeated illness. It started in Dec, and even with a few sq foot red areas, and abcess the size of a gerbil, it hasn't killed me yet.
I keep hopin'.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Tornado warnings are extremely rare.

Here are the facts, no thanks to ljworld:

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued 37 tornado warnings for portions of Douglas County from Jan. 1986 through May 12, 2008. That averages to approximately 1.6 tornado warnings per year.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

You have conveniently exposed your misunderstanding of the whole point of this argument.

Fact: Tornado warnings are extremely rare: 1.6/year
Fact: Tornado warnings are only issued when there is an actual tornado
Application: The desensitization argument is not sound because of the extremely low frequency of tornado warnings
Conclusion: The sirens should be sounded when there is a tornado warning