Change the Northeast Ohio winter weather alert to your phone

(WKBN) – The National Weather Service can send wireless emergency alerts to your phone in dangerous weather situations. This happens when your phone emits a loud emergency tone with warning text on the screen.

Wireless emergency alerts typically occur during tornado warnings or amber alerts. This winter, there will be a change in the radio emergency alert system that could affect much of northeast Ohio.

Snow storms pose a major winter weather threat. According to the National Weather Service
The service is intense and fast-moving and usually lasts less than one hour.

Snow storms can create white-out conditions and make roads icy within just minutes. Although total snowfall can be small in a blizzard, its effects can be deadly on the road with a combination of gusty winds, reduced visibility and falling temperatures.

The National Weather Service will issue a blizzard warning when one is expected in a local area. However, from now on, snow storm warnings will have more specific qualifications before a radio emergency alert is issued.

Prior to this change, any blizzard warning would be issued as a radio emergency alert.

Now, blizzard warnings will depend on the impact. The National Weather Service will have two label classifications: “General” and “Important.”

General snow storm warnings

According to the National Weather Service, a blizzard warning marked “General” will be issued during the overnight hours or when blizzard conditions pose a threat to safe travel.

The threat to safe travel means that blizzard conditions will cause drivers to reduce speed on roads and increase stopping distances.

Public snow storm warnings will not trigger a wireless emergency alert for your phone.

Important snow storm warnings

A blizzard warning is marked as “major.” will Issue a wireless emergency alert for your phone.

According to the National Weather Service, a “major” blizzard warning will only be issued when a blizzard poses a threat. substantial Travel threat

A major threat includes a snowstorm that occurs during busy travel times or in a vulnerable travel area.

Below are general specifications for impact-based snow storm warnings from the National Weather Service.

With winter quickly approaching, it would be a good idea to keep these criteria in mind when making travel plans. As the National Weather Service suggests, stop your travel and get off the road safely if you receive an emergency radio alert for a blizzard warning this winter.