Ed Fenelon, Meteorologist in Charge, at the National Weather Service in Romeoville and Warning Coordinator Jim Allsopp paid a visit to Channel 13 this afternoon and we discussed these reports. Fenelon remarked that the polygon warning may not have even touched those communities. (Late last year the National Weather Service began issuing storm-based warnings.)
I researched this further today and found that Ed's suggestion was true! The upper left image shows the first tornado warning that was issued. It covered northern Winnebago and Boone Counties (not Rockford or Belvidere). Once the storm crossed into Boone County, the Tornado Warning for Northern Winnebago County was dropped and a new warning was issued for the Hwy 173 corridor of Boone and McHenry County (upper right image). Bottom line? the cities of Rockford and Belvidere were never under a threat of a tornado and were never put under a Tornado Warning.The storm that produced the tornado developed over Southwestern Winnebago County around 2:30 and moved through Loves Park and Machesney Park producing some sizeable hail. Now, I'm not saying that administrators should send students out into a hailstorm. Eisenhower Middle School in Rockford is just one school that made students stay a little late because the storm looked fierce. That's wonderful! But a district-wide lockdown was not necessary.
This tornado was never a threat to students in the Rockford School District or the Belvidere School District. It is unfortunate that the reporters of these stories didn't dig deep enough to uncover the truth.
8 comments:
I THINK IF THE SIRENS WERE NOT SOUNDING, THEN IT IS SAFE FOR STUDENTS TO GO HOME IF A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED, BUT IF THE SIRENS ARE SOUNDING, DONT SEND THE STUDENTS HOME. THATS WHY WE HAVE TORNADO DRILLS AT SCHOOL SO WE ALL KNOW WAHT TO DO IN EVENT OF A TORNADO!
To me the main issue here is the new warning system that is currently in place from the National Weather Service. When it first came out late last year I thought that it could have possibly been a mistake, but I also felt it possibly needed some time to work itself out. After a few months of this system I am afraid my first instinct is possibly the correct one.
If an idividual say in Boone County was looking at the first of two images when the storm was taking place, and went exactly by this it could have been disaster for the North Boone students. It wasnt till the next warning came out that their area was highlighted in the warning. So I just wish they would go back to just giving the county wide warning system instead. To me it is better to be safe than sorry by putting everyone on alert.
I will say however that I am glad that you guys at 13 along with many others are still doing it the old way.
Garrett: When the new warning system came out we made a choice to stay with the old system. A decision I stand by. First, most everyone knows what county they are in. If we break that down to parts of counties, it will get more confusing and put more people at risk. So, when there's a storm/tornado warning we come on and track it in the "northern part of the county."
But when it comes to this instance, these cities were not in the storm path...and were never in danger.
Someday, I foresee technology that sets off an alarm on our PDA when severe weather is nearby. Wouldn't that be neat? -ERIC
I know when the warnings were going off, I was going between looking at the radar, looking out my window and watching the weather channel and the storm was moving so fast that it almost seemed as if the warnings couldnt come out fast enough. But 13 is always right on top it. The siren here in loves park near walmart did sound off, but rockford needs to get more sirens, which could have happened last year if the money wasnt used for the metro center.
i recenly learned about some storms that cuased damage near jackson mississippi. they been having tornaodes down there today!
My mom is a teacher in Missouri, and on monday they had just let out of school and all the kids were on their buses when the sirens went off. They all had to go to the nearest school to let all the kids wait in safety.
Someday, I foresee technology that sets off an alarm on our PDA when severe weather is nearby. Wouldn't that be neat?
Eric,
I already - sort of - have that through work. My employer subscribes to a service that automatically sends an alert (including the text of the warning message) to employees' Blackberries when the NWS has issued a severe weather warning for the ZIP code(s) identified by the employee when the employee registered with the service.
Its not perfect, but close.
Problem is - most people don't just sit in one ZIP code all the time ... you move around each day, especially if you travel for your job, maybe among widely ranging ZIP codes -- and you don't necessarily want to receive all that info about every ZIP code you ever travel through every single day...
But its a start...
Let me play devil's advocate here for a second. If the TV stations are still using the old "county-wide" warning system on their maps - would it not stand to reason that most schools, businesses, people would see that information and NOT the polygonal warnings from the NWS? And if that's the case....should schools be dismissing students when there is a tornado warning for their county? Now, Eric, I definitely understand the polygonal system...and that Rockford or Belvidere were not in that area. However, if the stations are still using the county-wide system (which has tremendous merit still - especially in smaller counties like Boone) - how would the school board know their city isn't in any danger?
Another question here. I'm a bit surprised that the first warning (based on the image) was issued from the center of the cell-and directly northeast. We know tornadoes are normally in the extreme southwest quandrant in this kind of system. I'm suprised the warning wasn't issued a bit farther south....look at the graphic. The Poplar Grove tornado touched down outside of the original polygon. And right turners??????? The polygonal in the first image just doesn't make sense to me. The second polygon did a much better job taking things into account.
OK, just wanted to let you know I still care about Rockford weather even though I'm 400 miles away.
Scott Harbaugh
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