News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The National Weather Service will use a new system of advisories and warnings this season, to make information more understandable.
Nashville-based Meteorologist Alyssa Clements said the new classifications are the cold weather advisory, extreme cold watch, and extreme cold warning. Clements said each category is now determined regardless of whether the cold is due to low temperatures or wind chill.
“Cold is cold,” Clements said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s because of the temperatures. It doesn’t matter if it’s because of the wind. In the past we had six different products just for cold weather. This simplifies it down to three.”
Clements said the Weather Service made the change to ensure the public can easily understand any announcements it makes. Clements said the system should help people take the proper precautions to keep themselves safe in an extreme cold event.
“We got a lot of feedback from the public and from partners and this was one of the areas that was identified that could be better in the future,” Clements said.
Clements said a cold weather advisory is issued for conditions at or below 5° F, an extreme cold watch is used when there is the potential for weather to drop below -5° F, and an extreme cold warning is made when the temperature actually goes below -5° F. Clements said the exact temperatures for each weather product are specific to the Middle Tennessee region.
“For areas that are further north, their criteria’s probably going to be a bit colder,” Clements said “Whereas areas further south, they might need a little bit warmer temperatures to trigger that just because cold is different depending on what area of the country you’re in.”
Clements said any new cold weather announcements will clarify whether they are being issued because of temperature or wind chill. Clements said anyone who wants to have more specific information about the weather can use the weather service’s daily forecast.
