Ask the Weather Guys: Where in the US are the most weather warnings issued?

Q: Where in the U.S. are the most weather warnings issued?

A: Certain meteorological conditions may pose threats to life and property. Under these conditions, the National Weather Service (NWS) issues advisories, weather watches and weather warnings.

A weather watch informs us that current atmospheric conditions are favorable for hazardous weather. When the hazardous weather will soon occur in an area, a warning is issued. Weather watches and warnings are issued for a wide variety of hazardous weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, winter storms, high wind speeds and flooding.

<p>The National Weather Service issues warnings about conditions that may pose threats to life and property, such as the tornado that struck Stoughton, Wis., on Aug. 18, 2005. </p>

DALE BERNSTEIN, NOA/NWS

The National Weather Service issues warnings about conditions that may pose threats to life and property, such as the tornado that struck Stoughton, Wis., on Aug. 18, 2005. 

The NWS issues weather watches and warnings under specific weather conditions. The term “watch” implies that you should be aware that a weather hazard may develop in your area. The term “warning” means the hazard is developing in your area. You should take immediate action in the event of a warning.

Pinpointing the location of hazardous weather in advance is extremely difficult. For this reason, watches are usually issued for large geographic areas. There are 122 NWS forecast offices responsible for issuing forecasts and warnings for their area.

Jonathan Erdman of the Weather Channel recently compiled over 300,000 NWS warnings issued in the U.S. over the latest 10-year period from 2012 through 2021. His data show that the Norman, Oklahoma, office issued the most with 9,103 warnings. Of those, 6,926 severe thunderstorm warnings were issued and 667 were for tornados. Jackson, Mississippi, ranked second with 7,639 warnings, including 816 tornado warnings and 1,240 flash flood warnings.