Having Multiple Ways To Get Severe Weather Alerts Is The Safest Way

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -As we know, severe chances steadily increase moving through the spring and summer months in Wisconsin. Severe weather can strike at any time of the day and that’s why it’s important to have multiple ways to get severe weather information. Having a way to get severe weather alerts is your best bet to protect life and property.

Tornado Sirens

Tornado sirens are one way to get severe weather alerts and probably one of the most recognizable ways. You may be surprised to learn that it is not one of the best ways to get information. Tornado sirens do have a distinct alerting sound that is easily recognizable when outside. It also does not require any personal device.

While those are a few strengths, there are some things that can make a tornado siren a poor way to get updated severe weather information. A siren is not intended to be used inside and is often times not able to be heard inside at all. In Wisconsin, sirens have no distinct criteria for being set off and can vary based on the county or city they are in along with who owns or operates them.

Weather Radios

A NOAA weather radio is another very common way to get severe weather information. For years this has been a safe and reliable way to get information. Being both battery and power operated, you can be assured you will get information even when the power goes out. The portable nature of a radio is also beneficial in the event you need to head to a storm shelter or safer location within your home. As technology increase, weather radios remain the same.

A recent disadvantage is that a radio will sound for anywhere in the county, even if the warning is for another part of the county from where you are. They also continue to be susceptible to reception difficulty in relation to distance to responder.

On TV

Television and watching live coverage on NBC15 continues to be one of the best ways to get weather information. Having one of our First Alert Meteorologist breaking down the latest storm data helps give more precise communication and up to the minute information. You also have the added benefit of hearing tone, voice, and seeing body language along with visual elements. While great information comes over the TV, it is susceptible to power outages and loss of signal. If you don’t have a TV in your safe place, you may also not hear or see all of the important information.

Mobile Apps

The newest, and one of the best, ways to get severe weather information is in the way of your smart phone or device. The portable nature of these devices and the face we mostly have them close by allows for instant notification and are much more resilient to power and date outages. Having an app, like the NBC15 First Alert Weather App, you can personalize alerts and data to your exact location and notification preference.

In the fast pace digital era we live in, smart devices can sometimes have too much data making it difficult to dig through what’s important and what’s not. Like anything else, we may choose to “screen” incoming alerts and notifications much like an incoming text or phone call if we are feeling to busy.

As you can see, depending on your location, activity, and time of day there may be better or worse ways to get severe weather information. Having multiple ways will assure you are best prepared no matter what you are doing

Here at NBC15, our First Alert Weather Team will keep you up to date on any severe weather threat days in advance by issues a First Alert Weather Day. Once severe weather strikes, we will provide updates on air, online, and through our NBC15 First Alert Weather App. This will assure your family is safe and prepared for severe weather.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 WMTV. All rights reserved.