Significant snow squalls will now trigger cell phone notifications - 9News.com KUSA

BOULDER, Colo. — The National Weather Service (NWS) tin nonstop warnings straight to your compartment telephone by utilizing the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system.

They bash that for flash floods, destructive terrible thunderstorms, tornadoes, and snowfall squalls.

But they are changing the snowfall squall warnings to lone trigger a compartment telephone alert erstwhile it's considered to beryllium "significant."

"Mostly that has to bash with the timing and determination of the snowfall squall," said Greg Heavener, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist astatine NWS Boulder. "If a squall is headed towards a large roadway during the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., there's a bully accidental our meteorologists volition adhd a 'significant' tag to the informing and a wireless exigency alert volition get sent out."

A snowfall squall is simply a abrupt and aggravated burst of snowfall that tin past 30 to 60 minutes.

They tin travel from a set of heavier snowfall that develops during a tempest that's already producing airy snow. Or it tin travel arsenic an autarkic set that moves into an country that wasn't antecedently experiencing snow. 

Heavener said immoderate snowfall squalls are deserving of a WEA notification due to the fact that of however accelerated they tin trim visibility to zero and crystal implicit the roads.

"I liken it to really driving with a pillowcase implicit your head," helium said. "I mean it tin virtually beryllium zero visibility wherever you can’t spot the hood of your car conscionable a fewer feet successful beforehand of your face. That’s however important these snowfall squalls tin be."

Heavener said this is the 4th wintertime that NWS has been issuing snowfall squall warnings for those unsafe bursts of snow.

For the archetypal 3 years, each snowfall squall warnings triggered a WEA notification, but nationalist feedback connected this comparatively caller merchandise told them they were issuing excessively galore snowfall squall warnings, particularly successful the overnight hours erstwhile determination weren't excessively galore radical connected the roads. 

So now, lone those snowfall squalls that are considered to person "significant" impacts volition get sent retired done compartment telephone carriers.

Heavener said that should springiness radical much assurance that the warnings are serious.

"I don’t similar to beryllium connected accusation if I cognize that it could perchance interaction someone’s life, oregon determination that they person to make," helium said. "Or assistance them marque a determination versus really telling them what to do."

Between the 4 NWS offices that contented warnings successful Colorado, 14 snowfall squall warnings were issued past week. Seven connected Tuesday and 7 connected Friday — nary of those warnings carried the important tag that would trigger a WEA notification. 

Another caveat to snowfall squall warnings is that they don't get issued erstwhile determination is already a wintertime tempest informing oregon a blizzard informing already successful place. The wording successful those warnings already implies the dangers of zero visibility and flash freezes connected the roadways. 

Snow squall warnings lone get issued erstwhile they make during wintertime upwind advisory oregon if determination are nary different wintertime alerts successful place. 

And snowfall squall warnings volition not get issued if a Winter Storm informing oregon a Blizzard informing is already successful spot for the area, due to the fact that those warnings already transportation urgency successful their wording.

If you bash privation to get each snowfall squall informing notifications to get sent to your compartment phone, adjacent the ones that don't trigger a WEA, you volition person to download a upwind specialty app similar Weather Underground, the Weather Channel oregon MyRadar. 

You tin besides find each the alerts, advisories, and warnings issued by the National Weather Service connected their website. 

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