How Much Advance Warning Does the National Weather Service Provide When a SKYWARN Net is Called Up?
That’s an interesting question. The Northeast is affected by competing weather systems from several sources. For example, some of our winter storms result when wet air from the Gulf and Atlantic collide with much colder, dry air from Canada. The relative strengths of the two systems may determine whether we get rain, freezing rain, snow, or clear weather. It’s like watching a baseball game. Although you can measure the performance of the players and teams, sometimes, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” In the summertime, many of our thunderstorms come from eastern New York state. But, under some conditions, cells may form literally over our heads just minutes before unleashing their fury on us down below. Our severe thunderstorm and tornado watches come not from Boston or Worcester, but from Kansas City. There, at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center, a sophisticated high-tech system monitors real-time weather data from many sources, issuing watches when conditions are favorable for
