Your Phone Will Warn You of Damaging Capital Region Storms

There will be a new warning that comes directly to your cell phone from the National Weather Service. We already get a typical thunderstorm warning directly to our phones and now the National Weather Service is keeping us more informed. They have created a new level of thunderstorm warnings that have to do with destruction.

According to WKBW.com, there will be a new wireless emergency alert for thunderstorms coming from the National Weather Service. Starting on August 2nd when a thunderstorm is spotted, the NWS will issue the severity of the storm along with potential impacts. There will be a "damage threat" tag added to the severe thunderstorm warnings. It will be a similar alert to the tornado and flash flood warning alerts already issued.

The three categories of damage threats for severe thunderstorm warnings are destructive, considerable, and base.

Destructive entails baseball-sized hail, eighty miles per hour winds, and will automatically be activated to cell phones within the warned areas.

Considerable damage entails at least golf-ball-sized hail and seventy miles per hour winds. This alert will also go out to cell phones automatically in the warning areas.

The baseline damage has one-inch hail with nearly sixty miles per hour winds. This will not activate the severe warning but be the basic warning that is already sent to your cell phones.

Hopefully, this new system will help those who need to take cover or secure belongings. This will, in turn, save lives and help alert those who may be impacted by very severe weather in the Capital Region.