Special weather statement
Encyclopedia
A Special weather statement is a form of weather advisory. Special weather statements are issued by the National Weather Service
of the United States (the NWS) and the Meteorological Service of Canada
(the MSC). There is no set criteria for special weather statements in either country.
. They are also occasionally used to clear counties from severe weather watches
. A common form of special weather statement is a significant weather alert
. Occasionally special weather statements appear as heat advisories
.
s, coastal fog
banks, areas of possible thunderstorm
development, and strong winds such as chinook
s and les suetes winds. They are written in a free style and may also reflect warnings in effect near the United States border.
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
of the United States (the NWS) and the Meteorological Service of Canada
Meteorological Service of Canada
The Meteorological Service of Canada , also known as "The Canadian Weather Service", is a division of Environment Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards...
(the MSC). There is no set criteria for special weather statements in either country.
United States
A special weather statement may be issued by the NWS for hazards that have not yet reached warning or advisory status or that do not have a specific code of their own, such as widespread funnel cloudsFunnel cloud
A funnel cloud is a funnel-shaped cloud of condensed water droplets, associated with a rotating column of wind and extending from the base of a cloud but not reaching the ground or a water surface. A funnel cloud is usually visible as a cone-shaped or needle like protuberance from the main cloud...
. They are also occasionally used to clear counties from severe weather watches
Tornado watch
A tornado watch is issued when conditions are right for a tornado to form. Since any thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado is defined as severe, a tornado watch is also automatically a severe thunderstorm watch...
. A common form of special weather statement is a significant weather alert
Significant weather alert
A significant weather advisory, is issued when doppler weather radar indicates a strong thunderstorm is producing small hail or high winds whose strength does not reach severe thunderstorm criteria. It does not necessarily account for lightning or flooding....
. Occasionally special weather statements appear as heat advisories
Heat advisory
A Heat Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service of the United States within 12 hours of the heat index reaching one of two criteria levels. A warning will be issued if there is a heat index of at least 105°F but less than 115°F for less than 3 hours per day or if nighttime low...
.
Examples of an American special weather statement
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MORRISTOWN TN
230 PM EDT FRI OCT 12 2007
NCZ060-061-TNZ041-072-074-087-102-130900-
CHEROKEE-CLAY-COCKE SMOKY MOUNTAINS-BLOUNT SMOKY MOUNTAINS-
SEVIER SMOKY MOUNTAINS-SOUTHEAST MONROE-EAST POLK-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MURPHY...HAYESVILLE...COSBY...
CADES COVE...GATLINBURG...COKER CREEK...DUCKTOWN
230 PM EDT FRI OCT 12 2007
...PATCHY FROST AND AREAS OF FOG EXPECTED IN THE SMOKIES AND
SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT...
CLEAR SKIES AND CALM WINDS WILL RESULT IN TEMPERATURES FALLING INTO
THE LOWER AND MIDDLE 30S ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS AND
SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA. SOME PATCHY FROST COULD FORM IN THE EARLY
MORNING HOURS...MOST LIKELY IN VALLEYS. TENDER VEGETATION SHOULD
BE PROTECTED OR BROUGHT INDOORS.
AREAS OF FOG AREA ALSO LIKELY OVERNIGHT...ESPECIALLY NEAR BODIES
OF WATER AND IN VALLEYS. THE FOG COULD BE DENSE IN SOME
LOCATIONS...REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO A QUARTER MILE OR LESS.
$$
DGS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
426 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011
ARZ003>007-012>016-021>025-030>034-037>047-052>057-062>069-280015-
ARKANSAS-BAXTER-BOONE-BRADLEY-CALHOUN-CLARK-CLEBURNE-CLEVELAND-
CONWAY-DALLAS-DESHA-DREW-FAULKNER-FULTON-GARLAND-GRANT-HOT SPRING-
INDEPENDENCE-IZARD-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSON-LINCOLN-LOGAN-LONOKE-
MARION-MONROE-MONTGOMERY-NEWTON-OUACHITA-PERRY-PIKE-POLK-POPE-
PRAIRIE-PULASKI-SALINE-SCOTT-SEARCY-SHARP-STONE-VAN BUREN-WHITE-
WOODRUFF-YELL-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALTHEIMER...AMITY...ARKADELPHIA...
ARKANSAS CITY...ASH FLAT...AUGUSTA...AVILLA...BATESVILLE...
BAUXITE...BEARDEN...BEE BRANCH...BEEBE...BENTON...BISMARCK...
BONNERDALE...BOONEVILLE...BRINKLEY...BRYANT...BULL SHOALS...
CABOT...CALICO ROCK...CAMDEN...CAVE CITY...CENTER RIDGE...
CHIDESTER...CLARENDON...CLARKSVILLE...CLINTON...CONWAY...
COTTON PLANT...DANVILLE...DARDANELLE...DE VALLS BLUFF...DE WITT...
DEER...DES ARC...DONALDSON...DRASCO...DUMAS...EL PASO...ENGLAND...
FAIRFIELD BAY...FLIPPIN...FORDYCE...FOURCHE JUNCTION...
GASSVILLE...GEORGETOWN...GILLETT...GLENWOOD...GOULD...GRADY...
GRAVELLY...GREENBRIER...GREERS FERRY...GURDON...HAMPTON...HARDY...
HARRISON...HASKELL...HAZEN...HEBER SPRINGS...HECTOR...HERMITAGE...
HORSESHOE BEND...HOT SPRINGS...HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE...HOUSTON...
HUMNOKE...HUMPHREY...JACKSONVILLE...JASPER...JESSIEVILLE...
KINGSLAND...LACEY...LEAD HILL...LEOLA...LESLIE...LITTLE ROCK...
LONOKE...MALVERN...MAMMOTH SPRING...MARSHALL...MAUMELLE...
MAYFLOWER...MCCRORY...MCGEHEE...MELBOURNE...MENA...MONTICELLO...
MORO BAY...MORRILTON...MOUNT IDA...MOUNT MAGAZINE...
MOUNTAIN HOME...MOUNTAIN VIEW...MURFREESBORO...NEWPORT...
NORFORK...NORMAN...NORTH LITTLE ROCK...OIL TROUGH...OKOLONA...
OLA...OMAHA...OXFORD...OZONE...PARIS...PARON...PELSOR...
PERRYVILLE...PINE BLUFF...PINE RIDGE...PLEASANT PLAINS...POYEN...
PRATTSVILLE...REDFIELD...RISON...ROHWER...ROSE BUD...
RUSSELLVILLE...SALEM...SEARCY...SHERIDAN...SHERWOOD...STAR CITY...
STEPHENS...STUTTGART...SUMMIT...SWIFTON...THORNTON...TUCKERMAN...
VILONIA...VIOLA...WALDRON...WARREN...WESTERN GROVE...WICKES...
WRIGHTSVILLE...Y CITY...YELLVILLE
426 PM CDT WED APR 27 2011
...COLD AIR FUNNELS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...
THE ENVIRONMENT THIS AFTERNOON HAS BECOME FAVORABLE FOR COLD AIR
FUNNEL CLOUDS AS AN AREA OF UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE MOVES THROUGH.
COLD AIR FUNNELS RARELY REACH THE GROUND AND GENERALLY POSE LITTLE
THREAT.
$$
Canada
Special weather statements are issued by the MSC for weather events that are unusual or those that cause general inconvenience or public concern and cannot adequately be described in a weather forecast. These may include widespread events such as Arctic outflows, Alberta clipperAlberta clipper
An Alberta clipper is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Most clippers occur between December and February, but can also occur occasionally in the month of November...
s, coastal fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
banks, areas of possible thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
development, and strong winds such as chinook
Chinook wind
Chinook winds , often called chinooks, commonly refers to foehn winds in the interior West of North America, where the Canadian Prairies and Great Plains meet various mountain ranges, although the original usage is in reference to wet, warm coastal winds in the Pacific Northwest.Chinook is claimed...
s and les suetes winds. They are written in a free style and may also reflect warnings in effect near the United States border.
Example of a Canadian special weather statement
Special weather statement issued for regions of southern Manitoba by
Environment Canada at 3:10 PM CDT Sunday 23 March 2008.
Special weather statement issued for..
Minnedosa - Neepawa - Russell - Riding Mountain National Park
Ste. Rose - McCreary - Alonsa - Gladstone
Dauphin - Roblin - Winnipegosis.
An Alberta clipper is forecast to enter western Manitoba early
Monday morning giving 5 to 10 cm of snow to regions around the
Riding mountains by Monday evening. The snow will give localized
reduced visibilities and make travel difficult especially along the
Yellowhead highway. These conditions will improve late Easter Monday
as the clipper moves out of the area.
Further details follow in the next regular public forecast
At 4.00 PM CDT.
END/BUKOSKI
See also
- Severe weather terminology (United States)Severe weather terminology (United States)This article describes the United States National Weather Service severe weather terminology. The NWS defines precise meanings for nearly all its weather terms. This article describes NWS terminology and related NWS weather scales...
- Severe weather terminology (Canada)Severe weather terminology (Canada)This article describes Severe weather Terminology used by the Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada. This article primarily describes various weather warnings, and their criteria. Related weather scales and general weather terms are also addressed in this article...