Warnings of potential tornadoes come about 14 minutes before the storms hit. At a roundtable discussion in Murfreesboro, Congressmen Bart Gordon and Lincoln Davis asked what is needed to increase that lead time.
Local emergency officials testified that they’ve learned how to respond very quickly to the storms. They say better forecasts are needed to improve the way people are warned and protected.
Several advanced radar technologies under development promise new levels of detail and speed. But it will be at least a decade before any are ready for use. And Channel Five meteorologist Ron Howse says there’s a limit to how helpful they can be. Howse says that’s because there are fundamental gaps in what scientists know about how storms work.
“We need more basic understanding in the life cycle of these things, at what point does that mesocyclone drop a tornado? We haven’t a clue really right now.”
In the meantime, panelists suggested an increase in the number of locations where weather observations are made. They also agreed on the importance of battery-operated weather radios for conveying warnings of dangerous storms.
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