Tornado Watches
Tornado Watches
Tornado Watches - what are they? A Tornado Watch is a bulletin issued by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (NSSFC)
also referred to as the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) when there is a high probability of tornados in the watch area.
Tornado watches take into account various synoptic and mesoscale features, primarily focusing on storm relative helicity,
vertical shear, existing boundaries, low level return and other factors. Tornado watches are not always in effect when a
tornado warning is issued or when tornados strike - but a tornado watch can often provide people with a heads up regarding
potentially tornadic conditions in impending or current severe weather.
When tornado watches are issued, they are entered in the AFOS system where they are routed to the central AFOS facility in
Maryland and then disbursed through various channels. One of the quickest ways to get tornado watches is through the
StormWarn email delivery service.