How Tornadoes Form
The formation of a tornado can be broken down to three stages: 1) low level horizontal spin,…
Understanding Hail
Hail, Showery precipitation in the form of irregular pellets or balls of ice more than 5 mm…
Severe Weather Preparedness
Tornadoes, floods, thunderstorm winds, hail, lightning, heat, wildfires, rip currents and tsunamis - spring is three months…
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Criteria for High Wind Advisory
A High Wind Advisory is sustained surface winds 31-39 mph (27-34 kts) for at least 1 hour; or any gusts to 46-57 mph (40-49 kts), predicted or occurring for an unspecified period of time. More Weather Glossary…
What is the Difference Between a Flash Flood and a Flood?
A Flash Flood is a flood caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours. Flash floods are usually characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains that rip…
What is the Beaufort Wind Scale?
The Beaufort Wind Scale (BEW-fert scale) or sometimes called The Wind Intensity Scale: is used to estimate wind speeds based on observation of objects in relationship to the wind. This method of measuring wind speed was…
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed. This scale estimates potential property damage. Hurricanes reaching Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes because of…
2013 Atlantic Hurricane Names | 2013 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Reports
Hurricanes are named alphabetically from a predetermined list beginning the letter "A" through "W", excluding names that begin with "Q" or "U." A storm is first named by the National Hurricane Center when the system becomes…
What is a Tropical Cyclone?
A Tropical Cyclone - generically describes a low pressure system that typically forms in the tropics. A collection of strong thunderstorms makeup a cyclone, and in the Northern Hemisphere, surface winds rotate counterclockwise. In the North…
iAlert.com Newsletters
This page keeps track of iAlert.com newsletters. Newsletters are sent 4-5 times per year to inform iAlert members of feature/functionality updates and/or to communicate important service information. June 2014 Premium Service Update 2014 Supporting iAlert.com Campaign…
Local Storm Reports on iAlert.com
A Local Storm Report (LSR) is an event driven storm damage and observational report issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). These reports are submitted to the local NWS office by trained storm spotters, amateur radio…
What is a Derecho?
A Derecho (deh REY cho), or sometimes called a "Bow Echo" due to the bent curve of the radar signature, is a wide spread, long-lived, line or cluster of strong thunderstorms, that rapidly moves east or…
