***Official 2024 Weather Thread***

[Saul_T]

1 - There is really a place called "White Settlement"? WTF
2 - Attention to detail is top-notch, they even have the "Box Tops Rewards" cutout on the top corner.

Ed Wilson covered this that night there was tornado warnings all over Des Moines. A lot of these places with really weird names had to do with rail routes. They weren't towns and often times there were no towns around but they still needed to be able to identify where they were, so the conductor would just make **** up. At least that was my interpretation of what he said.

 

[houjix]

I have the 13WarnMe app, and that's how we got notified. I haven't tried the others.

My Alexa's devices ping when the NWS issues a warning. Got one at about ten til 9 last night.

 

[clone52]

If sirens go off when there isn’t a tornado I’m not going wake up my kids up and bring them to the basement unless I’m seeing more legit info on TV or social media. Kind of sad if you think about it that sirens are the least reliable source of information.

What if you weren't paying attention? The siren clues you in to go look at TV or social media.

Its not meant to be specific alert to tell you if your particular house is going to get destroyed.

Sheesh.

 

[clone52]

Nah, the worst thing that happens is people start to ignore them as false alarms or being overly cautious, and then they're hit with a dangerous storm.

Darwin award. Take out the people who can't understand the purpose of the sirens.

I can't count the number of times that I've heard a siren and it clued me in to check the radar. Literally took me 30 seconds to check the radar. Most of the time, its nothing crazy, but a few times it helped me take cover. I've never been hit with any serious damage, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore them going forward. I'd be a complete moron to completely ignore them.

 

[stormchaser2014]

Tomorrow looking dicey.

 

[clone52]

Sirens are a crude tool, which was fine in 1985 when there were no other tools available. And they're still useful if we were more strategic about the way we used them. But we've expanded their use to the point where people consider it a measure of caution rather than a true emergency, particularly when you can pull up your phone or turn on the TV and get much more precise info upon which to decide.

It would be one thing if this were just a one-way problem of being overly cautious, but it goes both ways. I either forgot or never knew that these sirens have to cycle off occasionally to prevent damage, which came up the night that Pleasant Hill got hit and our sirens were cycling on and off repeatedly. Are most people going to know that sirens may cycle off and that isn't necesarily an indicator that the threat has passed? Of course not.

You literally defined the purpose of the sirens. To alert people to pull up their phone or get inside and turn on the TV to see if there is a problem. Thats not a reason that sirens are out of date. That is the LITERAL reason the sirens exist.

 

[MJ29]

Tomorrow looking dicey.

I have to be in downtown DSM in the afternoon for a meeting. I'm dreading it now with the weather.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Darwin award. Take out the people who can't understand the purpose of the sirens.

I can't count the number of times that I've heard a siren and it clued me in to check the radar. Literally took me 30 seconds to check the radar. Most of the time, its nothing crazy, but a few times it helped me take cover. I've never been hit with any serious damage, but that doesn't mean I'm going to ignore them going forward. I'd be a complete moron to completely ignore them.

Darwin award or not, if your policy is sounding the sirens for weather that isn't particularly dangerous, you might put more people in more danger than if you did it only for serious threats.

 

[Trice]

You literally defined the purpose of the sirens. To alert people to pull up their phone or get inside and turn on the TV to see if there is a problem. Thats not a reason that sirens are out of date. That is the LITERAL reason the sirens exist.

That's weird, because folks up the thread were arguing that the purpose of the sirens is not to turn on the TV or check out your phone, but to seek shelter immediately. Seems like it might be helpful to get our story straight on this one.

 

[JP4CY]

I have to be in downtown DSM in the afternoon for a meeting. I'm dreading it now with the weather.

I dunno, based upon the Kopelman image on the previous page the 1pm image shows the bad cells kind of by Newton.
You may be OK.

 

[dafarmer]

.4” in gauge yesterday. Tile lines are still not running.

 

[cycloner29]

My app shows a flood watch in areas north and south of I-80 from the middle eastern 2/3 of Nebby to just Newton then along I-35 from Des Moines stretching to Northern Minny.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

Hey Pocahontas-Humboldt-area people, hope you’re inside and away from windows.

 

[theshadow]

Things popping in NW Iowa tonight.

Recent or active thunderstorm warnings that include:
*golf-ball sized hail (Larrabee, Marcus, Calumet, Paullina, Aurelia)
*2" hail (Sanborn, Hartley, Ashton, Ocheyedan, Spencer, Mallard, Havelock)
*baseball-sized hail (Pocahontas, Laurens)
*tennis ball-sized hail (Dickens, Webb)
*3" hail (Sioux Rapids, Royal)

 

[3TrueFans]

Things popping in NW Iowa tonight.

Recent or active thunderstorm warnings that include:
*golf-ball sized hail (Larrabee, Marcus, Calumet, Paullina, Aurelia)
*2" hail (Sanborn, Hartley, Ashton, Ocheyedan, Spencer, Mallard, Havelock)
*baseball-sized hail (Pocahontas, Laurens)
*tennis ball-sized hail (Dickens, Webb)
*3" hail (Sioux Rapids, Royal)

Thank god I don't know where any of those places are, must mean I'm safe for now.

 

[Clonehomer]

Things popping in NW Iowa tonight.

Recent or active thunderstorm warnings that include:
*golf-ball sized hail (Larrabee, Marcus, Calumet, Paullina, Aurelia)
*2" hail (Sanborn, Hartley, Ashton, Ocheyedan, Spencer, Mallard, Havelock)
*baseball-sized hail (Pocahontas, Laurens)
*tennis ball-sized hail (Dickens, Webb)
*3" hail (Sioux Rapids, Royal)

Is there really enough difference between a baseball and tennis ball to necessitate a distinction?

 

[Clonehomer]

Iphone iOS 17.4.1

Look at your notification settings for your weather app. For some reason it is in a different place than other warnings such as Amber alerts.

 

[theshadow]

Is there really enough difference between a baseball and tennis ball to necessitate a distinction?

That's the verbage that was used. I also saw one for "large apple."

 

[motorcy90]

This is a statement of a person with high confidence in their sump pump and drainage system.

I don't think my sump has ever ran, it's bone dry currently. But we are on the top of a hill here.

 

[cmjh10]

There has been a cell like 5 miles south and east of us that hasn’t moved in an hour. Light show has been impressive. Dalmatian is not impressed though. Currently shaking in bed between me and the gf. Gonna be a long night.