The Cullman County Situation
After getting more rather heated email today… I thought I would try and address this situation one more time.
A freeze warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Birmingham, which resulted in this map…
Across the northern tier of the freeze warning, you have Marion, Winston, Blount, Etowah, and Cherokee counties, but Cullman County sticks out like a sore thumb because it is not in the warning despite the adjacent counties being in one.
People, in turn, send email to us wanting to know why we “ignore” Cullman county, and they want to know why they are left out.
The exact same thing happened this past weekend, when this severe thunderstorm watch was posted…
Same thing… People angry that Cullman County was “left out”, while counties to the west, south, and east were under the watch.
I understand the frustration of the people in the county, and trust me, we are just as frustrated.
Before I explain the problem… you need to know this…
*Cullman County is in the Birmingham TV market. It is our responsibility to provide long form coverage during tornado warnings, and we have done that every single time, without exception, since ABC 33/40 signed on in 1996.
*People in Cullman County should be watching local stations out of Birmingham for severe weather coverage since you are in our market. Cullman County is NOT in the Huntsville TV market.
*If you don’t believe we provide long form coverage for Cullman County… see this video from April 27….
So, whats up?
Cullman County is in the Huntsville National Weather Service CWA (County Warning Area). Sometimes, Huntsville opts out of the various watches and warnings, giving the illusion that Cullman County is “forgotten”.
This fact also leads people to believe they should be watching Huntsville TV stations for severe weather coverage, which is NOT correct. As stated above, Cullman County is in the Birmingham TV market, even though the warnings come from Huntsville.
The mass confusion I have seen here in recent weeks makes my point.
This is not about which NWS office is better… both the Birmingham and Huntsville offices do an excellent job. It is simply my point that Cullman County needs to be in the Birmingham TV market, AND Birmingham NWS CWA to eliminate confusion. I am hoping this happens sooner than later… because we have learned after April 27 that confusion leads to lowered public response during times of life threatening weather.
Category: Alabama's Weather
About the Author (Author Profile)
James Spann is one of the most recognized and trusted television meteorologists in the industry. He holds the AMS CCM designation and television seals from the AMS and NWA. He is a past winner of the Broadcast Meteorologist of the Year from both professional organizations.Subscribe
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