Should Private Weather Companies Issue Their Own Weather Alerts to the Public?

Should anyone be issuing severe weather warnings for the public beside the National Weather Service?

One company, MetLoop, is going to this year.

This Northwest Florida based company, comprised mainly of retired Air Force meteorologists, purports a 95% +/- forecast accuracy and 30 to 60 minute advance alerts for hail, wind, rain and tornadoes. They also tout that they will deliver advance notice of pending severe weather 15 hours in advance.

They say their alerts are smaller than NWS storm based polygons, and therefore more specific.

For decades, there has been an unwritten rule that only the National Weather Service can issue warnings. But some television stations around the country have started issuing their own.

Private weather forecasting firms certainly add value in the form of targeted weather forecasts for specific segments that the NWS cannot provide in their current mission. But does it cross the line when the alerts they issue reach the general public?

It has been announced that WFAA in Dallas will be using the new MetLoop alerts on air this severe weather season. Could this create confusion in warning situations where the public has to take immediate action? Or is it the same as James giving his specific color on individuals storms on air. Will the MatLoop warnings be another valuable tool for helping make decisions?

Let us know what you think about the idea of issuing warnings to the public by commenting using Facebook below. You can even pose a question for the Guest WeatherBrain!

Tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m CST, the Guest WeatherBrain will be Tom Crenshaw, the Program Manager MetLoop. Tune is for what should be a provocative show.

Check out the show at www.WeatherBrains.com when it is posted by Brian early Tuesday morning. You can also subscribe on iTunes. You can watch the show live Monday night on the BigBrainsMedia Site. You can also see the show on the James Spann 24×7 weather channel on cable or directly over the air on the dot 2 feed.

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