Weather Alerts

[Bob_Kikkert]

I may be travelling in the southern US next year during tornado season and I would like to know how the weather alert system functions in the US. Are the broadcasts federal or are they state by state? If I keep my Ultra radio on weather alert, will I receive the alerts no matter where I am?

I confess that I have not explored all the functions of my radio yet and I would appreciate any feedback on how best to use the weather bands and the weather alerts.

 

[Coyote5]

Once you start touring you become your own weatherman very soon. Although I like the weather channels on my bike, the problem I find using it is it gives me the weather near the location I'm right now, not what I'll be running into further down the road.

I routinely bike back and forth from Kentucky and New Jersey (approx. 800 miles one way). I have a choice of either a northern or southern route to take. I normally check key points of travel on my laptop before I take off to see if there is bad weather for example in West Virginia or the Ohio route. That determines which direction I then take.

Since you'll be touring during tornado season, I'd suggest that you take the weather spotter course given by the National Weather Service (NWS). It's been a long time since I took it, but I think it's invalluable if you're going to do a lot of cross country riding. They do cover tornados and it'll teach what to look for and how a tornado develops. Just google 'weater spotter' and you should get a link to the NWS page that tells you where and how you can get trained.

Happy riding!

 

[Joyflyin]

NOAA weather radio is pretty reliable if you don't have internet access. I use the cell phone to check weather, I use a couple of different sights. I like Welcome to Weather Underground : Weather Underground for the radar, but I like Hang Gliding * Paragliding * Skydiving * Ultralight * Aviation Resources * Airsports Net for the forecast. Plus, you always have looking out the window..:s. Some areas (Ohio for example) use sirens for tornado warnings and such. They test them the 1st Wed. of each month here at noon. Good luck.