Tornado at beginning of life. Condensation funnel has not yet reached ground.

A tornado warning is issued when: Image File history File links Size of this preview: 406 × 599 pixels Full resolution (1184 × 1748 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 406 × 599 pixels Full resolution (1184 × 1748 pixel, file size: 1. ... A tornado in central Oklahoma. ...

• a tornado is reported on the ground or is indicated on doppler radar
• a waterspout is headed toward landfall
• a funnel cloud is reported in the sky
• a tropical cyclone is making landfall with winds greater than 115 mph (experimental for 2006, will be renamed "Extreme Wind Warning" if successful)

It is also issued when, depending on the circumstances: A tornado in central Oklahoma. ... Doppler Effect Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect to measure the radial velocity of targets in the antennas directional beam. ... Waterspouts on the beach of Kijkduin near The Hague , the Netherlands on 2006 August 27. ... Hurricane Charley making landfall on August 13, 2004 at its peak intensity. ... A funnel cloud. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004 Hurricane and Typhoon redirect here. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

• a thunderstorm with a threshold strong, tight rotation signature is indicated by doppler radar, or
• a rotating wall cloud is reported (in context of all other available information).

A tornado warning means there is immediate danger for the warned and immediately surrounding area -- if not from the relatively narrow tornado itself, from the severe thunderstorm producing (or likely to produce) it. All in the path of such a storm are urged to take cover immediately, as it is a life-threatening situation. A warning should not be confused with a tornado watch (issued by a national guidance center, the Storm Prediction Center) which only indicates that conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. A shelf cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... Doppler Effect Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect to measure the radial velocity of targets in the antennas directional beam. ... A wall cloud with tail cloud A wall cloud is a cloud formation. ... A tornado in central Oklahoma. ... A severe thunderstorm is a thunderstorm with winds 58 mph or greater, 3/4 inch or larger hail, or tornadoes. ... A tornado watch is issued when weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms that are capable of producing tornados. ... The Storm Prediction Center, located in Norman, Oklahoma, is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service, which in turn is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. government. ...

In the United States, local offices of the National Weather Service issue warnings for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms on a per-county basis, narrowing down to parts of counties in many cases, and usually with a narrower pathcast of where the tornado(s) is expected to track within the area is mentioned in the warning message. The National Weather Service (NWS) is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States government. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ...

In Canada, similar criteria are used and warnings are issued by regional offices of the Meteorological Service of Canada of Environment Canada in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) is a Canadian government agency which provides meteorological information. ... Environment Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and conservation of wildlife. ... Vancouver (pronounced: ) is a city in south-western British Columbia, Canada. ... Location of Edmonton within census division number 11, Alberta, Canada. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (in unity, prosperity) Coordinates: Country Canada Province Quebec Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Motto: Template:Unhide = E Mari Merces (Wealth from the Sea) Logo: Location City Information Established: April 1, 1996 Area: (former city) 79. ...

Tornado warnings are generated via computer then disseminated through various communication routes accessed by the media and various agencies, on the internet, to NOAA satellites, and on NOAA Weather Radio. Civil defense sirens are also activated for the affected areas if present. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is an American network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office [1]. NWR broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. ... American Signal AL-8000 in OFallon, Illinois A civil defense siren (also referred to as an air raid siren, tornado siren, or outdoor warning siren) is an electrically-powered mechanical device for generating sound to provide warning of approaching danger and to indicate when the danger has passed. ...

The first tornado warning was issued by the meteorological staff of Tinker Air Force Base in 1947 and was also coincidentally the first successful tornado forecast. A water tower on the north side of Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base — Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC)— is a major U.S. Air Force military base located near Oklahoma City, in the suburb of Midwest City, Oklahoma. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Advances in technology, both in indentifying conditions and in distributing warnings effectively, have been credited with reducing the death toll from tornadoes. The average warning times have increased substantially to about 15 minutes; and in some cases to more than a one hour's warning of impending tornadoes. The U.S. tornado death rate has declined from 1.8 deaths per million people per year in 1925 to only 0.11 per million in 2000. Much of this change is credited to improvements in the tornado warning system.

Tornado Emergency

Main Article: Tornado Emergency A radar image of the Greensburg, Kansas tornado that prompted a tornado emergency A Tornado Emergency is issued by the National Weather Service when a large, violent tornado is expected to impact a densely populated area. ...

When a large, extremely violent tornado is about to impact a densely populated area, the Weather Service will issue an upgraded tornado warning, a tornado emergency. Such an upgrade has only been used four times in U.S. history: in 1999 for the F5 that hit Moore, Oklahoma, In 2003, For a F4 Tornado again hit Moore, Oklahoma, and another F4 Tornado that hit Western Oklahoma City the next day. The most recent issuence was in the Moorand in 2007 for the EF5 that hit Greensburg, Kansas. A radar image of the Greensburg, Kansas tornado that prompted a tornado emergency A Tornado Emergency is issued by the National Weather Service when a large, violent tornado is expected to impact a densely populated area. ... Moore is a rapidly growing suburb in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. ... Moore is a rapidly growing suburb in Cleveland County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. ... Greensburg is a city in Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. ...

Example of a tornado warning issued by the NWS(National Weather Service)

 ********************** ***Warning for F5 tornado that hit [[Greensburg, KS]] on May 4, 2007*** ********************** 868 WFUS53 KDDC 050220 TORDDC KSC097-050300- /O.NEW.KDDC.TO.W.0025.070505T0219Z-070505T0300Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 919 PM CDT FRI MAY 4 2007 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DODGE CITY HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... KIOWA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. * UNTIL 1000 PM CDT * AT 917 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS WERE TRACKING A CONFIRMED LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO 14 MILES SOUTH OF GREENSBURG...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF WILMORE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. * LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... GREENSBURG... RURAL RESIDENCES OF EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY. THIS INCLUDES HIGHWAY 54 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 105 AND 115. THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING TORNADOES CAUSING DAMAGE! THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...EVACUATE TO A SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURE. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. A LARGE TORNADO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED!. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IN A BASEMENT OR OTHER UNDERGROUND SHELTER AND GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY. THIS WARNING REPLACES THE PREVIOUS WARNING ISSUED FOR SOUTHERN KIOWA COUNTY. LAT...LON 3743 9942 3738 9932 3760 9901 3764 9936 ********************** ***Warning for F5 tornado that hit [[Greensburg, KS]] on May 4, 2007*** ********************** 

National Weather Service - BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING

See also

• Tornado Emergency
• Severe weather terminology
• Emergency Broadcast System
• Emergency Alert System
• 911 Broadcast