Topic: We Get It!! It's Raining! Quit with the %&*()^&*()^&*($#$^ Tones!!!

[WeatherHost]

I think PAH has set the tones off 30 or 40 times in the last two hours.  It gets beyond annoying.  All it does is piss people off and make them turn their weather radios down or off completely.  They pull this crap and then they wonder why nobody heeds warnings any more.   

It's not like something is coming that can't be seen or will take anybody by surprise.  It's entirely clear that it's raining and windy.  All people have to do is look outside.  Either that or watch the TV news since the system came through during the 5 and 6PM newscasts.

[BigOkie]

I think PAH has set the tones off 30 or 40 times in the last two hours.  It gets beyond annoying.  All it does is piss people off and make them turn their weather radios down or off completely.  They pull this crap and then they wonder why nobody heeds warnings any more.   

It's not like something is coming that can't be seen or will take anybody by surprise.  It's entirely clear that it's raining and windy.  All people have to do is look outside.  Either that or watch the TV news since the system came through during the 5 and 6PM newscasts.

How many SAME codes do you have programmed?

[WeatherHost]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

 

[BigOkie]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

 

Hmm...they shouldn't be doing that unless they're making a modification to the warning area OR they're extending the warning past the original expiration....

[groze]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

 

Hmm...they shouldn't be doing that unless they're making a modification to the warning area OR they're extending the warning past the original expiration....

WeatherHost

BigOkie  is correct.  It sounds like you need a weather radio that can set for the warnings you want only.   You should snail mail your NWS office about these reminder warnings.  Emails don't work.  I think NWS should drop the polygon warnings and go back to a county by county basis.    For example, when the NWS issued a tornado warning for extreme northwest part of our county, the EMA still sounds off the sirens for the whole county.

[BigOkie]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

 

Hmm...they shouldn't be doing that unless they're making a modification to the warning area OR they're extending the warning past the original expiration....

WeatherHost

BigOkie  is correct.  It sounds like you need a weather radio that can set for the warnings you want only.   You should snail mail your NWS office about these reminder warnings.  Emails don't work.  I think NWS should drop the polygon warnings and go back to a county by county basis.    For example, when the NWS issued a tornado warning for extreme northwest part of our county, the EMA still sounds off the sirens for the whole county.

Then your EMA needs training on the new system, unless the sirens can't be triggered one-by-one (which is HIGHLY unlikely).  In Tulsa they sound the sirens based on the area of the warning.  The whole reason the NWS went to the polygon based warning system had more to do with the sheer size of some of the counties (in Oklahoma, for example, Osage is a very large county) and complaints that if you live in the northwest section of county, why should you be getting warnings for the southeast section.

But for weather radios, it doesn't matter.  It's done on a county basis (obviously, since SAME codes are essentially FIPS codes and there are only one per county).

[groze]

Then your EMA needs training on the new system, unless the sirens can't be triggered one-by-one (which is HIGHLY unlikely).  In Tulsa they sound the sirens based on the area of the warning.  The whole reason the NWS went to the polygon based warning system had more to do with the sheer size of some of the counties (in Oklahoma, for example, Osage is a very large county) and complaints that if you live in the northwest section of county, why should you be getting warnings for the southeast section.

But for weather radios, it doesn't matter.  It's done on a county basis (obviously, since SAME codes are essentially FIPS codes and there are only one per county).

I don't think Henry County, IN  went to a new system.  I got to find out more info of this and see why they sounded it for the whole county.

[LFWX]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

 

Hmm...they shouldn't be doing that unless they're making a modification to the warning area OR they're extending the warning past the original expiration....

WeatherHost

BigOkie  is correct.  It sounds like you need a weather radio that can set for the warnings you want only.   You should snail mail your NWS office about these reminder warnings.  Emails don't work.  I think NWS should drop the polygon warnings and go back to a county by county basis.    For example, when the NWS issued a tornado warning for extreme northwest part of our county, the EMA still sounds off the sirens for the whole county.

Then your EMA needs training on the new system, unless the sirens can't be triggered one-by-one (which is HIGHLY unlikely).  In Tulsa they sound the sirens based on the area of the warning.  The whole reason the NWS went to the polygon based warning system had more to do with the sheer size of some of the counties (in Oklahoma, for example, Osage is a very large county) and complaints that if you live in the northwest section of county, why should you be getting warnings for the southeast section.

But for weather radios, it doesn't matter.  It's done on a county basis (obviously, since SAME codes are essentially FIPS codes and there are only one per county).

Actually each county can (some day) have up to ten FIPS -This is the first digit of the FIPS6 code - "0" for the entire county, "1-9" for subdivisions of the county (think of it as the county being divided like a Tic-Tac-Toe board).
More info: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/samenz.htm

[BigOkie]

6 counties due to the small size of counties here and the way storms travel.  Normally it works out well and I get 3 or 4 alerts during an event.  They just went overboard this time sending out reminders (warning continues ....) about 10 minutes after each initial warning.  The way they were stacking them up, we'd get 2 or 3 activations back to back in 5 minutes or less.

  

WeatherHost

BigOkie  is correct.  It sounds like you need a weather radio that can set for the warnings you want only.   You should snail mail your NWS office about these reminder warnings.  Emails don't work.  I think NWS should drop the polygon warnings and go back to a county by county basis.    For example, when the NWS issued a tornado warning for extreme northwest part of our county, the EMA still sounds off the sirens for the whole county.

Then your EMA needs training on the new system, unless the sirens can't be triggered one-by-one (which is HIGHLY unlikely).  In Tulsa they sound the sirens based on the area of the warning.  The whole reason the NWS went to the polygon based warning system had more to do with the sheer size of some of the counties (in Oklahoma, for example, Osage is a very large county) and complaints that if you live in the northwest section of county, why should you be getting warnings for the southeast section.

But for weather radios, it doesn't matter.  It's done on a county basis (obviously, since SAME codes are essentially FIPS codes and there are only one per county).

Actually each county can (some day) have up to ten FIPS -This is the first digit of the FIPS6 code - "0" for the entire county, "1-9" for subdivisions of the county (think of it as the county being divided like a Tic-Tac-Toe board).
More info: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/samenz.htm

Not many do though; I had a similar discussion about a month ago and decided to cross references NOAA's list of SAME codes and found that only about six counties nationwide have this implemented (maybe more, haven't looked at the topic in a while).

But yes, they shouldn't be sending out reminders UNLESS they're changing the criteria of the warning (extending, adding counties..but in that case usually they just create a new warning if adding counties).

Hmm...they shouldn't be doing that unless they're making a modification to the warning area OR they're extending the warning past the original expiration....

[WeatherHost]

Probably 15-20 times in an hour this time for a storm that really wasn't all that bad.

What good does it do to annoy people to the point they turn their radios OFF?

[skywarnspotter17980]

Every time they are issueing flood warnings they send each lake each river each swimming pool off on a seperate alarm and do you know when they love to do this   

in the middle of the night
this does make people turn off their weather radios
I know because I turn mine off which I know it is dangerous but it going off every 2 minutes non stop is annoying especially at 1 am in the morning

[BigOkie]

Every time they are issueing flood warnings they send each lake each river each swimming pool off on a seperate alarm and do you know when they love to do this   

in the middle of the night
this does make people turn off their weather radios
I know because I turn mine off which I know it is dangerous but it going off every 2 minutes non stop is annoying especially at 1 am in the morning

Not sure why you all have these problems with the tones going off repeatedly.  Here at NWS Tulsa this just doesn't happen unless they extend a warning or modify it.

[groze]

Every time they are issuing flood warnings they send each lake each river each swimming pool off on a separate alarm and do you know when they love to do this   

in the middle of the night
this does make people turn off their weather radios
I know because I turn mine off which I know it is dangerous but it going off every 2 minutes non stop is annoying especially at 1 am in the morning

Not sure if I can explain this correctly.   I don't think some of national weather service follow the S.A.M.E code instructions correctly.    Flood warnings are to be issued without the alert tone on a S.A.M.E. weather alert radio it would show an advisory.   Flash Flood warning are to be issued with an alert tone on a S.A.M.E. weather alert radio it would show an warning.  The S.A.M.E. code instructions for the national weather service is/was downloadable on the web-don't have the web address.   

You need to write that national weather service.  Tell them the tone shouldn't be sounded for flood warnings.  They still should issue a S.A.M.E.  message but without a tone.   According the manual,  S.A.M.E. messages can be broadcast on a radio without an alert tone.   

However,  the old 1050 Hz tone maybe the cause of you getting the flood warnings for your area.  That would explain why my national weather service doesn't broadcast S.A.M.E. message for a flash flood watch, winter storm, watch, severe weather statements, etc

Tip,
Check to see if you have another weather frequencies.  You can use for your county even if it is controlled by another weather office.  They might rebroadcast warnings for your area.

I don't know when the old 1050 Hz tone will be phased out.