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« on: June 13, 2013, 02:03:12 PM »
Apparently, TWC isn't the only place weather sensationalism exists. The SPC's following suit IMHO. I remember a time when a high risk meant something out of the ordinary would happen. Not your typical springtime storms, but generally a vicious tornado outbreak. I'm not aware of such a risk level having been issued for straight-line winds very many times.
Of course, it's better safe than sorry. Assuming people always obeyed the warnings, it would be better for more of them to be issued. People would be safer because they would always prepare, and it's more desirable to prepare for a storm that doesn't pan out than it would be not to prepare due to lack of warning and get caught in a surprise tornado.
Unfortunately, the reality is that warnings are sometimes ignored, and the problem is exacerbated if too many warnings are issued for storms that don't materialize. If "high risk" becomes commonplace, then it becomes the new normal. It would be the equivalent of a tornado warning being used all the time for conditions which would normally warrant a tornado watch only.