Dissemination and communication of weather warnings in the USA

In consideration of the Early Warning for All (EW4ALL) initiative, it might be instructive to see how the weather warning system has evolved in the USA since the first tornado warning was issued in 1948. Since then, National Weather Service forecasters have routinely issued watches (statements that atmospheric conditions are favorable for dangerous weather), and warnings (statements that dangerous weather is imminent or happening) for a wide variety of warm season and cold season weather events. Remote sensing and other advances have made these weather alerts more accurate over the years, and modern methods of dissemination have increased the speed and effectiveness with which these alerts have been transmitted to broadcasters and other delivery systems for delivery to the public. In recent years, researchers have studied the effectiveness of these weather warnings, identifying certain issues that have emerged - such as dealing with false alarms, proper communication of warning information, and how the public reacts behaviorally when warnings are issued.