Texas Summer 2023

[dpep4]

They shouldn't be using the sirens until there is an actual tornado warning. Otherwise many will start to ignore them.

[rwfromkansas]

They shouldn't be using the sirens until there is an actual tornado warning. Otherwise many will start to ignore them.

Exactly. I know they say now they are just outdoor warning sirens. But, in Kansas they only sounded for tornadoes. Period. And when we lived in West Texas, it was the same. This new philosophy is unique to DFW.

I think the only exception is baseball hail or 100 mph wind. That poses such a risk that it needs more attention.

[Tejas89]

They absolutely need to stop blowing the sirens so much. I understand the reasoning, but Dallas in particular is getting a “cry wolf” reputation when it comes to that.

[HockeyTx82]

What I don't understand is why each city has its own guidelines for when and what they sound sirens for. It should be the same across all city warning systems IMO.

In this day and age no reason why that can't be decided on and agreed upon. I'm not sure how this can be achieved, but the central contact point would be the NWS offices. I know they don't tell city warning systems when to sound, but they could at least help decide on when and what to sound them for. It's ridiculous that one city does the sirens for tornado only and one yet next street over it's for hail too.

Rant over

[Ntxw]

Excessive heat warnings for the southeastern third of the state basically from central to southeast Texas. High humidity along with hot temperatures will make for high heat indexes.

[bubba hotep]

Excessive heat warnings for the southeastern third of the state basically from central to southeast Texas. High humidity along with hot temperatures will make for high heat indexes.

Just miserable, but at least the Canadian sees some opportunities for relief

[Cpv17]

Currently here at noon sitting at 94°F with a 78°DP. Heat index of 111°F.

[ElectricStorm]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

[bubba hotep]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

The 12z HRRR seems to be the outlier at this point, as far as storms across NTX, but it has performed pretty well in this pattern.

[Brent]

They shouldn't be using the sirens until there is an actual tornado warning. Otherwise many will start to ignore them.

This. They are supposed to serve a purpose

Like up here the only tornado sirens this year have been the monthly test...

[HockeyTx82]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

And just a few days ago it was supposed to be 100+ here.

[Cpv17]

I’ve never even heard of sirens going off for any other reason besides a tornado. That’s dumb af.

[bubba hotep]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

The 12z HRRR seems to be the outlier at this point, as far as storms across NTX, but it has performed pretty well in this pattern.

18z, the same

[EnnisTx]

I’ve never even heard of sirens going off for any other reason besides a tornado. That’s dumb af.

Last night I was watching the line come in towards Dallas. As Bubba mentioned the storms made an abrupt turn as they were closing in. The idea is to warn anyone outside to seek shelter before the storm arrives, not after.
I work for Dallas and the sirens are not just for tornadoes. They are intended to warn the public of impending severe weather events, especially those out and about and not within their homes or another substantial structure, this includes wind, large hail and tornadoes. The fact that someone can hear them inside their home is just a plus.

[DallasAg]

I’ve never even heard of sirens going off for any other reason besides a tornado. That’s dumb af.

Last night I was watching the line come in towards Dallas. As Bubba mentioned the storms made an abrupt turn as they were closing in. The idea is to warn anyone outside to seek shelter before the storm arrives, not after.
I work for Dallas and the sirens are not just for tornadoes. They are intended to warn the public of impending severe weather events, especially those out and about and not within their homes or another substantial structure, this includes wind, large hail and tornadoes. The fact that someone can hear them inside their home is just a plus.

I've lived in Dallas most of my life. 90% of folks here are simply not weather aware. When the sirens sound, everyone perks up. If that gets folks to pick their heads up from their phones and see wth is happening around them and get indoors, then mission accomplished. The OEM folks pretty much have to govern toward the lowest bar not the highest.

My biggest beef with Dallas' use is how inconsistent they can be at times. The North Texas Council of Governments agreed on the criteria: tornado warning OR 1.5" diameter hail OR 70 mph wind (https://nctcog.org/getmedia/2a13adb3-c9 ... lang=en-US). Depending who's at the switch at the time, maybe they follow those guidelines or maybe they roll their own. June 2019 storm that tore through most of the city with 80mph winds...they were silent. The following week tornado warned storm with weak tornado in Famers Branch...again, nothing. And then we had cases like last night where perhaps they were a little trigger happy. At the time the warning was issues and the sirens sounded, the storm was still up near McKinney. Plenty of time to assess before it would've hit even the far northern part of the city.

[cheezyWXguy]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

The 12z HRRR seems to be the outlier at this point, as far as storms across NTX, but it has performed pretty well in this pattern.

18z, the same

https://m2o.pivotalweather.com/maps/models/hrrr/2023061618/036/qpf_acc-imp.us_sc.png

18z NAM follows suit. I think we’ll see a southward expansion for tomorrow if trends continue

[cheezyWXguy]

I’ve never even heard of sirens going off for any other reason besides a tornado. That’s dumb af.

Last night I was watching the line come in towards Dallas. As Bubba mentioned the storms made an abrupt turn as they were closing in. The idea is to warn anyone outside to seek shelter before the storm arrives, not after.
I work for Dallas and the sirens are not just for tornadoes. They are intended to warn the public of impending severe weather events, especially those out and about and not within their homes or another substantial structure, this includes wind, large hail and tornadoes. The fact that someone can hear them inside their home is just a plus.

The problem is the messaging around those sirens is ambiguous at best. Correctly or incorrectly, they have long been recognized as exclusive to tornadoes. If they are going to be used for more than just tornadoes, that messaging needs to be abundantly clear and I don’t think it has been.

[South Texas Storms]

Most of Oklahoma upgraded to enhanced for tomorrow. Looks like a mostly nocturnal event

And just a few days ago it was supposed to be 100+ here.

Doesn't matter what the air temp is. Heat Index values are near 110F in DFW right now. That's brutal just like the rest of the state.

[Cpv17]

Topped out at 96°F with a 112° heat index around 1:45 this afternoon.

[bubba hotep]

Storms popping off South of DFW