The 'PDS' warning system, initially designed to alert the public about potential tornado outbreaks, has been expanded to encompass a wider range of natural disasters, including wildfires. Meteorologists are utilizing this rare warning to highlight the extreme wildfire risk predicted for Southern California.
Originally designed for tornado warning s, meteorologists have expanded the use of 'PDS' warnings to encompass a broader range of natural disasters , including ice storms, floods, hurricanes, and now wildfires. This rare warning aims to grab attention ahead of an extreme wildfire risk predicted to begin in Southern California at 4 a.m. (1200GMT) Tuesday. PDS warnings first emerged as a method to alert the public about potential tornado outbreaks in the Midwest.
Over a decade ago, three meteorologists proposed extending their application to encompass various disasters like ice storms, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires. \'It catches the attention, it really heightens that awareness and the need to really act at that point,' stated one of these scientists, Jonathan Howell. The goal was to establish the term as synonymous with extreme weather events and potentially utilize it for emergencies such as hurricanes and snowstorms, as Howell and his two colleagues outlined in a 2011 presentation at the American Meteorological Society conference. \'I definitely think this has made an impact and has saved lives over the years,' said Howell, who currently serves as the science and operations officer at the weather service’s Mobile, Alabama office. The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, dedicated to providing forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, reveals that the term 'PDS' was first used on April 2, 1982, by forecaster Robert H. Johns, in conjunction with a tornado watch. This followed a 'failed attempt in the late 1970s,' Johns mentioned in an interview for the Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. Meteorologists had previously alerted the public about a 'big next day,' only to be met with no severe weather, he explained. Today, meteorologists possess significantly more advanced tools for predicting catastrophic weather events compared to the 1970s and 1980s, allowing forecasters to issue more reliable severe warnings, Howell stated. The PDS term appeared in various newspaper articles, including an April 1, 1983 Associated Press story about a widespread storm system that generated a blinding dust storm in West Texas. The California National Guard shared footage of pilots utilizing a Modular Airborne FireFighting System-equipped C-130J aircraft to drop fire retardant over the Palisades Fire. Subsequently, on December 9th, residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties received another warning of a 'particularly dangerous situation' as Santa Ana winds intensified in the mountains
PDS Warning Wildfires Southern California Tornado Warning Severe Weather
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