MetService has made some enhancements to Severe Weather Watches and Warnings to give people a real sense of just how severe the forecast weather could be.

These features are one of the steps MetService is taking to make our warning information more actionable and easier to understand, helping to support a more effective and timely response to severe weather. 

Severe Weather Watches and Warnings for Heavy Rain, Strong Wind or Heavy Snow now include:

• Action statements with practical steps you can take to be weather ready. This advice is informed by the National Emergency Management Agency and tailored for different types of weather and severity.  For Watches, the actions will only appear if there is a ‘High’ chance the Watch will be upgraded to Warning.
• Impact statements to better explain what the forecast weather could do. These will appear on all Warnings.  Additionally, they will appear in a Watch when there is a ’High’ chance of upgrade to a Warning.
• Chance of the Watch or Orange Warning being upgraded has been added to the forecast. This lets you know the likelihood (high, moderate, low, or minimal) that the weather could become more severe or that a higher-level warning will follow - making it clear when it is critical to keep up to date with the forecast.

Here is an example of how the new information will be displayed within a warning: