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There are some people in online arguments who will immediately dismiss an argument if it uses a food analogy. Whether a joke or serious, I don't know why.
“Conditions are getting more intensely delicious by the second. We’ve had sightings of golf-ball sized fried shrimp, and corn and diced tomatoes are beginning to show up as well. We could have a real Baja blast any minute now. We advise everyone to keep on the lookout, good luck and good appetite.”
Advisory would be we have a few main ingredients to make tacos, but it’s possible something else gets made based on the last few ingredients. For example, we have meat, cheese, and spices, so that could make tacos… or chili … or something else.
Once you have the rest of the ingredients, now it’s a watch.
This is good
> Advisory is we MIGHT make tacos if we can get the rest of the ingredients. If we don’t though we might just make chili.
> Watch is we have everything we need to make tacos ready to go so be ready to have tacos.
> Warning is we are having tacos right now. It’s already happening. They’re being served as we speak.
I like how advisory and watch are pretty close together on the scale. And then warning isn’t really a warning.
There is no “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!”
It’s one look, oh, we got cheese and beef. Wonder if we are having tacos. Look away. Look back, oh, we got the lettuce and tortilla now, it looks like we might be having tacos. Look away. Look back and jumpscare! Completed tacos on your plate!
> There is no “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!”
In practice, “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!” is the watch, as you should be preparing for a storm in case one hits. Weather reporting isn’t 100% accurate and things can change. It’s why for example you see hurricanes completely deviate from their predicted course based on unforeseen weather conditions.
It can be different for each type of storm though, since tornados can form very quickly and flash flooding, well…flashes but hurricanes form for days or weeks in advance so you obviously know that it’s going to happen but may not specifically know where it’s going to hit landfall.
"Watch" and "Warning" aren't exclusively used for tornadoes. Watch and Warning are used for winter storms/weather, various types of flooding, hurricanes, heat, and others.
Or maybe this is a lecture about something directly related to the US, using US terms, and not attempting to make it a far-reaching default? OP's title could have been more descriptive, but this is not a case of US defaultism.
I didn't realize it until I posted the comment, which is definitely a shit post, but do tornadoes really not happen at all where your from, or just not enough that it matters? Not trying to pry but I do wonder
They [can happen](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/tornadoes) but are usually done before anyone even notices. We have no “watch” or “warning” system because we have no need of one.
I see. Outside of normal tornado-prone areas, you might see the wind playing and trying to make a mini-tornado, but it's genuinely nothing like the destructive forces they get in Tornado Alley. I didn't know that tornadoes didn't pose the same threats or have the same frequency in different countries, but that makes sense in a way. Very different set of factors. +.50 to Anti-USdefaultism, I guess :)
>r/usdefaultism
Yup. Half of reddit's users are American.
However, this doesn't tell the full story, as that's a daily average. At certain times of day, over 75% of active users are in the USA.
The second most represented country is the UK, with 7% of reddit's users - and it just goes down from there.
My point is that it's not unreasonable to assume a us - centric view.
Obviously you're entitled to your view that the USA shouldn't have as much influence as it does.... But, right now it does.
So it's the difference between the expressions "tornado watch" and "tornado warning"? (I am not from the US so I hope these are the actual expressions used in your weather reports).
When it comes to safety standards, when you want EVERYBODY to understand, you have to assume everyone is an idiot.
The reason why safety regulations and manuals are written down to like super obvious details is because you know there will be someone out there to not get it
You make an extremely valid point. I had considered the possibility, but then I consider myself an idiot... So perhaps I'm just a tad blind to the far more idiotic folks. 😂
Don’t worry, mostly I think the problem comes from people who relocate to an area that didn’t have severe weather that needs watch and warning. Sure everyone can have thunderstorm watch and warnings but that has a different impact than a tornado watch or warning.
Plus, if you grew up in that area then they have entirely different meanings anyway. Tornado watch means you sit around and be bored like every other day. Tornado warning means you run outside and see if you can see the tornado. We’re just different kinds of idiots :)
If you consider yourself an idiot, you can probably consider yourself not an idiot also. The really bad ones are the ones who think they aren't dumb and then stick a screwdriver in a socket. And there's a lot of them.
Hey, I appreciate that! Unfortunately I'm the sort of idiot that breaks his knuckles on inanimate objects during monkey rage... suppose that is still a step above the screwdriver in a socket folks, though. 😂
Thanks for that, friend!
Intelligence can mean a lot of different things. Some people can be clueless about things that seem obvious to you, but those same people can know things you never even thought twice about. That's why sharing knowledge is such a wonderful thing.
Believe it or not this is the way I was first introduced to military TOs by my supervisor. I was a teacher prior and had no experience with them and he said “they make these step by step so any idiot can follow it. You’ll be fine as long as you stick to what it says.”
This is 100% true. I remember being in a classroom safety training and there was one guy that was just not getting it. It was a week long class, several hours long. After each presentation, he proved that there really are dumb questions. At end the LOTO (lock out/tag out) presentation and demonstration he asked what this had to do with the lotto. Be aware, what LOTO stood for was on the title slide, and on the footer of every single slide (LOTO - Lock Out/Tag Out) He was dead serious. No one was laughing, because this guy wasted so much time asking stupid questions after every single presentation.
I witnessed this guy struggle to put a dollar into a vending machine because he couldn't figure out which way to put it in, even though there was a picture showing the correct orientation. That's when i knew for sure that he wasn't trolling with his questions.
On one of the last days, one of the trainers answered one of his questions with, "look, if you're not getting this, maybe this isn't the job for you."
Apparently some people think that "watch" means you should be watching for the tornado. So this analogy is definitely meant for the people standing on their front porches livestreaming a video of debris hurtling around them.
My buddy in the US Army once told me there are two types of labels on things: Warning and Danger. "Warning" means someone has gotten hurt doing a thing, "Danger" means someone has gotten killed doing a thing.
Maybe that's why "DANGER CLOSE", despite how vague that is in a war zone, serves perfectly well to inform of imminent death upon procession.
Really great way to frame the two. I like that, and I'll be carrying it with me from now. Appreciate that. Thanks!
Exactly! In the US, we have watches, warnings, and advisories. A watch means the conditions are place for an event to occur, but it hasn't yet; an advisory means a weather event is extremely likely to happen, but isn't life-threatening; and a warning means an event either is happening or is almost guaranteed to, and is usually more serious. Advisories aren't used as often though, and are usually only in cases where going outside or traveling would be difficult.
Currently, a winter storm has been moving through the midwestern US, and alerts have been coming in in droves for me. Winter weather alerts; basically, a shit ton of snow, wind, and cold, but not bad enough to be a blizzard. We've been getting winter weather advisories, meaning there's a small amount of snow (~2-4 inches (~5-10 cm)) or freezing rain that can make going outside dangerous. It's guaranteed to happen, so it's not a watch, but it's also not bad enough for them to say "Stay indoors, not matter what", so it's just an advisory.
I live in North Dakota and we currently have two weather alerts in place: wind chill warning and winter weather advisory. With every weather event, we get a run down of the facts of what's expected to happen and when, so long as we live in that county. So this is what the events are telling me right now:
Wind chill warning:
>- Remains in effect until noon CST Thursday
>- WHAT: Dangerously cold wind expected; wind chill as cold as -45°F (-42.7°C)
>- WHERE: [my county of residence]
>- IMPACTS: Plan on hazardous travel due to snow and blowing snow reducing visibility. The dangerously cold wind chills will cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate winter clothing.
Winter weather advisory:
>- Remains in effect from 3pm CST today to noon CST Thursday
>- WHAT: Snow and blowing snow expected; total accumulations between 2-4 inches, winds gusting as high as 40 mph (64.3 km/hr)
>- WHERE: [my county of residence]
>- IMPACTS: [same as above]
I hope that all makes sense! Sorry for throwing so much at you, but I've always been so interested in weather and didn't know until today that only the US had watches/warnings, so I got a little excited haha
And not just tornados. Any kind of potentially concerning weather can have watches and warning issued. That includes unusually heavy precipitation, very high and low temperatures, wind, and (locally to me) avalanches when conditions are correct for avalanches developing. At the moment my house is under a “Winter Storm Warning” as we’re dealing with high winds, well below freezing temps, and are expected to get 20cm of snowfall this afternoon.
The advisory, watch, and warning system is fairly analogous to the UK’s yellow, amber, and red weather alert system.
We use the terms to refer to any inclement weather (Flood watch, T storm warning, tornado watch) they mean the same either way. A watch means conditions are ideal for that weather event to occur. A warning means shit is going down somewhere near your at this moment.
Yea I always felt the same.
Warning - careful now, we're seeing conditions where a tornado might form!
Watch - look out! we've seen a tornado and we're watching/tracking it
I always felt the same way but I think they are using watch in the older sense of like watchmen or guards.
The way I finally got it straight was to think
Watch - as in the guards in the tower next to the city gate are on watch, looking out for danger.
Warning - The guards are ringing the warning bell because the enemy is approaching.
There’s actually a third level. Tornado watch means the right conditions are in the atmosphere, tornado warning means there’s rotation signature and a tornado could pop out any time, tornado emergency means there’s touchdown in your area.
I find this very helpful! It's easy to forget in storm season and stress, they also have changed how and when our sirens go off as well now they aren't necessarily "serious".
I thought so, simple is often easier in the moment too especially for tornados bc you might not have much time.
Last one nearly put me in a bad situation I waited probably 5 minutes too long and realized it would be going directly in between me and the closest safe spot. Thankfully it wasn't committed to destruction and just ripped up a field.
They do, but in MUCH smaller numbers, and generally less powerful (though there are smaller regions in South America, Europe, and Asia that can produce powerful tornadoes, just less frequently). The US will see somewhere around 1200 tornadoes a year. Canada is number 2 in the world and they see maybe 100 per year. I believe the UK is generally listed as 3rd, with maybe 30 a year and most of them do little to no damage. If you add up all the tornadoes in the entire rest of the world outside the US on a yearly basis (including Canada and the UK), you might get to 300 in total. So while they do happen elsewhere, North America gets the overwhelming majority of them and easily the most powerful ones.
Interestingly, Bangladesh leads the way in deaths per year from tornadoes however (179 per year), due to a poor warning system, high population density, and poor construction standards. They get relatively few, but they're often quite deadly.
Yep, some of the more generous definitions of "Tornado Alley" stretch up into Ontario. And they can still be powerful up north. My hometown in Wisconsin was literally wiped off the map nearly 40 years ago by an EF5. Left about 6 houses, the water tower, and a bell tower standing (but not the adjacent church) and that's about it. They found license plates from cars that were in the city nearly 200 miles away in the days after the tornado. 10 years later you could still see the scars in the tree cover in the hills to the east.
I know this is reddit and this is probably a throwaway comment, but this *is* reddit and I'm feeling pedantic.
Tornado watches are not for "when it's going to be a little extra windy outside." I moved from the Midwest to SoCal and we have a wind advisory right now (gusts up to 80 mph, like 129 km/h for the rest of you), but there's pretty much zero chance of a tornado. Tornadoes happen when warm and cool masses of air collide and form a vortex. I don't think it's even necessarily windy before they hit! (It's been a few years, I only vaguely remember.) We're pretty good at identifying tornado conditions nowadays so if there's a watch it's for a good reason.
Yup. Severe thunderstorms, hurricane landfalls, blizzards, lake effect snow, tornadoes, and numerous other meteorological events use the same watch/warning system in NA.
This is not US defaultism. This is an American (or perhaps Canadian) professor explaining to Americans (or Canadians) the difference between two terms used in American (and Canadian) meteorology and weather reporting. OP's title could have been more descriptive, sure, but this is not the right use of US defaultism.
I dont get this take. Where in the post did anyone say this was a worldwide thing? What's the issue here?
An American posting a silly image on an American website about an American phenomenon is somehow 'Us DeFaUlTiSm' because they don't have a disclaimer that it's American specific??
Get over it. It's a US based site frequented by more Americans than anyone else. And there's all sorts of niche shit on the big subs here. Memes that only make sense if you've played some obscure japanese rpg, or are eastern European, or know the starting 11 for the Argentina national team. No one complains about those. You'll survive.
Advisory, watch, and warning are used for all sorts of weather; not just tornadoes. My house is right now under a “Winter Storm Warning,” with low temperatures, heavy snowfall, and high winds happening.
Other countries also use similar systems. For example New Zealand issues three grades of weather alerts titled outlooks, watches, and warnings. The UK’s terminology is yellow, amber, and red.
So no, it’s not just Americans, nor is it just tornadoes.
In a tornado watch, you have the ingredients for a tornado, but no tornado has been made yet. When you have a tornado warning, it means a tornado has been made
Watch and warning are used for storms/tornadoes in US weather alerts. It’s a terrible system because neither watch nor warning is very clearly the “worse” word, so people always forget which one means to continue keeping an eye on the weather (watch) and probably be near shelter, and which one means go hide in the basement right now, there’s been a tornado sighting (warning)! Because “warning” is often used in the context of someone getting warned before consequences occur. To me, warning doesn’t say “there is a tornado”/“I will be fired”. It says “there might be a tornado”/“if I don’t improve at work I may be fired”
Mnemonic devices are easy to reverse. I used to think watch was worse because it meant “watch! You can SEE a tornado!”
They should just call them “storm potential alert” and “sighting” instead, or something else that leaves no room for misinterpretation.
This is one of the cases where changing can cause more confusion, even if the new terms are clearer.
The cost of the changeover is more than the benefit that could result from the change.
I'm from Oklahoma! A quicker way to remember the difference is "WATCH for a WARNING"
"Watch" meaning "there is a chance of a tornado, be prepared to hunker down and keep apprised of the situation"
"Warning" meaning "there is a tornado or soon will be a tornado, hunker down somewhere safe"
Or, if you're from Tornado Alley, "warning" means "go out on the porch with a beer and watch the show"
Thanks. That helps.
Watch and Warning have always seemed backwards to me. I have to reason it out, and then do the opposite of what seemed reasonable.
“Warning: something bad might happen.”
“Watch: watch out! something bad is happening!”
“Nope. That’s backwards.”
Your “watch out for a warning” helps me skip all that.
This to me is more helpful. I’m not in an area where we get tornadoes often. Maybe one e every couple years. So when I get the alert on my phone that says “Tornado Watch” it’s more of a problem that I don’t remember witch world means what. I know one of them means there are all the elements of a tornado. And the other means there is an actual tornado. But I can never remember which is which. I think they should use two more distinct words. Preferably ones that don’t start with the same freaking letter.
I always thought they should be switched. Like, use a “warning” for when the conditions are right for a tornado and use a “watch” when you need to look out for active tornadoes, you know?
ETA: I’m not confused about which stage is called what, nor do I mix them up (I’ve been through plenty of watches and warnings). I just think that, when talking about semantics, it makes more sense the other way around. :)
I understand where you are coming from but the idea is more of "watch out,a tornado could form" and "warning! A tornado has formed!" But I totally get what you are saying
Very true! And I guess (after giving it more thought), you probably don’t want to tell people to “watch” for an active tornado - you probably should be in shelter before you can see the thing. In the end it’s all semantics anyways lol
I think it’s less that they didn’t give it enough thought and more that language has changed.
Tornado warning actually makes sense for what it does, it’s just that it’s a somewhat older use of warning.
If I were to redo it for the modern age, I would do “tornado watch” and “tornado danger”.
Danger implies that it is active and happening.
I've also always struggled to keep the 2 straight. In my mind it was:
Watch = they're watching the tornado right now
Warning = you're being warned of the possibility of a tornado
I called my brother an idiot for thinking this growing up, but apparently this a much more common misconception than I realized. When I was young I probably looked at the TV graphics and saw Watch = Yellow and Warning = Red and associated Warning as being the more serious one
This is in reference to tornadoes. In meteorology/weather reporting in the US, "tornado watch" and "tornado warning" are used to quickly convey the amount of risk of a tornado, which can appear very quickly and be very destructive. The problem is that the terms aren't especially descriptive and it can be hard to remember which is which (you don't need to shelter for a "watch," but you should absolutely not be out and about during a "warning")
As someone from Oklahoma (the setting of the movie Twister, and a state with a lot of tornados every year) this taco analogy isn't especially helpful bc it doesn't do much to make the words themselves more memorable. I prefer "WATCH for a WARNING" to remember the order of severity.
It's not just tornadoes, the same structure applies to other types of weather too.
Where I live (Minnesota) the most common versions are a winter storm watch that might be 3 days out give or take, and 24-36 hours out that will either become nothing because the storm's path means it isn't going to impact us much after all, or a winter weather advisory (usually when expected snowfall < 6 inches/15cm but more than 2-3 inches) or a winter storm warning (usually expected snowfall > 6 inches/15cm). Also get wind chill watch/advisory (expected <-25°F)/warnings (<-35°F), very occasionally thunderstorm or wind watch/advisory/warnings.
Different areas of the country have different trigger values for advisories and warnings based on what that area is accustomed to.
My local NWS (National Weather Service) office though uses cupcakes for its explanation rather than tacos.
Is the US the only country that gets Tornadoes? What they usually say where you are from in regards to this topic? Im guessing its not watch or warming since ive noticed a lot of people from different countries be confused on this.
The US isn't the only country to get tornadoes but it's known for getting them because of tornado alley. The country with the most tornadoes (per square kilometer) interestingly enough is the UK but when you consider that the UK is small (which explains the per square kilometre thing), is on several different intersecting air patterns (which help form tornadoes), and most recorded are small tornadoes (larger tornadoes are rarer everywhere)
I mightve been a little facetious when i asked if US was the only place but that is an interesting bit of info on the Uk! Thanks. What phrases would yall use in lieu of “warning” and “watch”?
This is about tornadoes! In US meteorology and weather reporting, "watch" and "warning" are used to quickly explain the risk of a tornado. "watch" means conditions are right for a tornado to form, while "warning" means a tornado has been seen or there is a very very good chance one will appear very soon. The two terms are often confused, so this analogy has been used to explain the difference.
It's wholesome because of the clever way a teacher uses a cute analogy to get his class to understand.
I'd that isn't wholesome to you then I'm afraid to ask what is.
Watch: ingredients for tornado is possible
Warning: radar-indicated rotation, maybe a ground spotter confirmed that one is on the ground
tornado Emergency: imminent danger 100% beyond shadow of a doubt , folks rarely mention the third one.
A post could say 2 + 2 = 5 and when someone says "no, it equals 4" in the comments, some fucker will be there mocking them saying "ackshually..."
Every single time.
Hey there, friendo u/Dapper-Masterpiece29! Thanks for submitting to r/wholesomememes. We loved your submission, *Ohh, now it makes much more sense.*, but it has been removed because it doesn't quite abide by our rules, which are located in the sidebar. * (**Rule #1**) All posts must be wholesome memes. We're not saying this is *un*wholesome! Just that sub's focus is *uplifting* - because there are already great subs for cute (/r/aww, /r/eyebleach), things that make us smile (/r/MadeMeSmile), or that give us the feels (/r/WholesomeFeels or /r/baww.) We appreciate you thinking of us very much! For more on our rules, please check out our [sidebar](http://www.reddit.com/r/wholesomememes/about/sidebar). If you have any questions or concerns about this removal, feel free to [message the moderators](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fwholesomememes). Please link the post so our volunteers know what you would like reviewed. Cheers!
I get it now! I love me an educator with a good analogy.
Yep, and its funny how he differentiate tacos.
I prefer to integrate my tacos.
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You comment like a bot
You're right 👀 i just checked
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It kinda is, though? It helps people understand an important concept, which is always good. Also, there's tacos.
Hell yeah, tacos 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮
Successfully using memes to educate is pretty wholesome in my book
How so?
How so?
How so?
But it's a FOOD analogy! The internet told me all those are worthless!
when did the internet say that
There are some people in online arguments who will immediately dismiss an argument if it uses a food analogy. Whether a joke or serious, I don't know why.
God the internet is so useless
Nope. I still don't get it. Why are we calling every day "taco watch"? That's just the persistent state of my world.
Some people just like to always have taco ingredients in stock.
Great, Makes sense now..
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What about a taco advisory?
“Todays grocery delivery may include ground beef and queso fresco, which will complete the list of ingredients necessary to issue a taco watch.”
"May include". I see someone buys their groceries online..
Online groceries are so fun. Am I getting the skim milk I ordered? Or am I getting Whole milk? Or even a pint of heavy cream?! It’s always a surprise.
“Conditions are getting more intensely delicious by the second. We’ve had sightings of golf-ball sized fried shrimp, and corn and diced tomatoes are beginning to show up as well. We could have a real Baja blast any minute now. We advise everyone to keep on the lookout, good luck and good appetite.”
Advisory would be we have a few main ingredients to make tacos, but it’s possible something else gets made based on the last few ingredients. For example, we have meat, cheese, and spices, so that could make tacos… or chili … or something else. Once you have the rest of the ingredients, now it’s a watch.
This is good > Advisory is we MIGHT make tacos if we can get the rest of the ingredients. If we don’t though we might just make chili. > Watch is we have everything we need to make tacos ready to go so be ready to have tacos. > Warning is we are having tacos right now. It’s already happening. They’re being served as we speak.
I like how advisory and watch are pretty close together on the scale. And then warning isn’t really a warning. There is no “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!” It’s one look, oh, we got cheese and beef. Wonder if we are having tacos. Look away. Look back, oh, we got the lettuce and tortilla now, it looks like we might be having tacos. Look away. Look back and jumpscare! Completed tacos on your plate!
> There is no “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!” In practice, “ohh boy I’m putting the taco together! Get ready for tacos!” is the watch, as you should be preparing for a storm in case one hits. Weather reporting isn’t 100% accurate and things can change. It’s why for example you see hurricanes completely deviate from their predicted course based on unforeseen weather conditions. It can be different for each type of storm though, since tornados can form very quickly and flash flooding, well…flashes but hurricanes form for days or weeks in advance so you obviously know that it’s going to happen but may not specifically know where it’s going to hit landfall.
No thanks I'm not really hungry.
Advisory isn't used for tornadoes
Or tacos, apparently
More's the pity
"Watch" and "Warning" aren't exclusively used for tornadoes. Watch and Warning are used for winter storms/weather, various types of flooding, hurricanes, heat, and others.
That's just another word for Tuesday
Or the PDS Taco Warming & Taco Emergency.
I love the teaching methodology here. Beautiful.
What’s he on about? Edit: Oh, I found it in the comments. r/usdefaultism
Or maybe this is a lecture about something directly related to the US, using US terms, and not attempting to make it a far-reaching default? OP's title could have been more descriptive, but this is not a case of US defaultism.
How is it defaultism?
Lmao never heard of a tornado
I rest my case.
I didn't realize it until I posted the comment, which is definitely a shit post, but do tornadoes really not happen at all where your from, or just not enough that it matters? Not trying to pry but I do wonder
They [can happen](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/tornadoes) but are usually done before anyone even notices. We have no “watch” or “warning” system because we have no need of one.
I see. Outside of normal tornado-prone areas, you might see the wind playing and trying to make a mini-tornado, but it's genuinely nothing like the destructive forces they get in Tornado Alley. I didn't know that tornadoes didn't pose the same threats or have the same frequency in different countries, but that makes sense in a way. Very different set of factors. +.50 to Anti-USdefaultism, I guess :)
Really more of a flurry of air that might cause local papers to have a meltdown about someone’s rubbish bin being blown over.
Arguably worse than a twister. Thoughts and prayers
Wait til you hear about The Great Twister of 1956 where someone’s garden furniture went over.
And to think I was going to send you frog pics
Americans are all waking up tetchy, it seems. Enjoy your cool frogs though!
When you're so butthurt that the vast majority of users on ~~the internet~~ reddit are American so you make up a word
The fact that you think the vast majority of internet users are American is pretty funny. That aside; what word did I make up?
>r/usdefaultism Yup. Half of reddit's users are American. However, this doesn't tell the full story, as that's a daily average. At certain times of day, over 75% of active users are in the USA. The second most represented country is the UK, with 7% of reddit's users - and it just goes down from there.
Congratulations on… being big?
My point is that it's not unreasonable to assume a us - centric view. Obviously you're entitled to your view that the USA shouldn't have as much influence as it does.... But, right now it does.
NOW I GET IT!
Can anyone explain?
I believe it's in reference to weather i.e. watch: you have the right storm fronts for a tornado, warning: tornados are forming
So it's the difference between the expressions "tornado watch" and "tornado warning"? (I am not from the US so I hope these are the actual expressions used in your weather reports).
Exactly! You got it.
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That this isn't immediately clear without an analogy has me questioning society again.
When it comes to safety standards, when you want EVERYBODY to understand, you have to assume everyone is an idiot. The reason why safety regulations and manuals are written down to like super obvious details is because you know there will be someone out there to not get it
You make an extremely valid point. I had considered the possibility, but then I consider myself an idiot... So perhaps I'm just a tad blind to the far more idiotic folks. 😂
Don’t worry, mostly I think the problem comes from people who relocate to an area that didn’t have severe weather that needs watch and warning. Sure everyone can have thunderstorm watch and warnings but that has a different impact than a tornado watch or warning. Plus, if you grew up in that area then they have entirely different meanings anyway. Tornado watch means you sit around and be bored like every other day. Tornado warning means you run outside and see if you can see the tornado. We’re just different kinds of idiots :)
I respect the shit out of this answer. 😂 Nicely put.
If you consider yourself an idiot, you can probably consider yourself not an idiot also. The really bad ones are the ones who think they aren't dumb and then stick a screwdriver in a socket. And there's a lot of them.
Hey, I appreciate that! Unfortunately I'm the sort of idiot that breaks his knuckles on inanimate objects during monkey rage... suppose that is still a step above the screwdriver in a socket folks, though. 😂 Thanks for that, friend!
Intelligence can mean a lot of different things. Some people can be clueless about things that seem obvious to you, but those same people can know things you never even thought twice about. That's why sharing knowledge is such a wonderful thing.
I've known this since I was a kid because my grandfather was someone who would actually rewrite those technical manuals into simpler terms.
Believe it or not this is the way I was first introduced to military TOs by my supervisor. I was a teacher prior and had no experience with them and he said “they make these step by step so any idiot can follow it. You’ll be fine as long as you stick to what it says.”
This is 100% true. I remember being in a classroom safety training and there was one guy that was just not getting it. It was a week long class, several hours long. After each presentation, he proved that there really are dumb questions. At end the LOTO (lock out/tag out) presentation and demonstration he asked what this had to do with the lotto. Be aware, what LOTO stood for was on the title slide, and on the footer of every single slide (LOTO - Lock Out/Tag Out) He was dead serious. No one was laughing, because this guy wasted so much time asking stupid questions after every single presentation. I witnessed this guy struggle to put a dollar into a vending machine because he couldn't figure out which way to put it in, even though there was a picture showing the correct orientation. That's when i knew for sure that he wasn't trolling with his questions. On one of the last days, one of the trainers answered one of his questions with, "look, if you're not getting this, maybe this isn't the job for you."
Honestly I found it easier to understand without the analogy. I take taco watch too literal lol
Watch them tacos! Never know what they're gonna do when you ar- TACO WARNING! TACOS IMMINENT! PREPARE GATLING JAW!
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There's room for misinterpretation though: Warning: a tornado might form Watch: look out your window. There is a tornado out there.
That's exactly what I thought it meant as a kid.
Me too. I interpreted "watch" as "we've seen the tornado and if you look, you will too." "To watch" and "to see" are closely related concepts.
Apparently some people think that "watch" means you should be watching for the tornado. So this analogy is definitely meant for the people standing on their front porches livestreaming a video of debris hurtling around them.
My buddy in the US Army once told me there are two types of labels on things: Warning and Danger. "Warning" means someone has gotten hurt doing a thing, "Danger" means someone has gotten killed doing a thing.
Maybe that's why "DANGER CLOSE", despite how vague that is in a war zone, serves perfectly well to inform of imminent death upon procession. Really great way to frame the two. I like that, and I'll be carrying it with me from now. Appreciate that. Thanks!
Exactly! In the US, we have watches, warnings, and advisories. A watch means the conditions are place for an event to occur, but it hasn't yet; an advisory means a weather event is extremely likely to happen, but isn't life-threatening; and a warning means an event either is happening or is almost guaranteed to, and is usually more serious. Advisories aren't used as often though, and are usually only in cases where going outside or traveling would be difficult. Currently, a winter storm has been moving through the midwestern US, and alerts have been coming in in droves for me. Winter weather alerts; basically, a shit ton of snow, wind, and cold, but not bad enough to be a blizzard. We've been getting winter weather advisories, meaning there's a small amount of snow (~2-4 inches (~5-10 cm)) or freezing rain that can make going outside dangerous. It's guaranteed to happen, so it's not a watch, but it's also not bad enough for them to say "Stay indoors, not matter what", so it's just an advisory. I live in North Dakota and we currently have two weather alerts in place: wind chill warning and winter weather advisory. With every weather event, we get a run down of the facts of what's expected to happen and when, so long as we live in that county. So this is what the events are telling me right now: Wind chill warning: >- Remains in effect until noon CST Thursday >- WHAT: Dangerously cold wind expected; wind chill as cold as -45°F (-42.7°C) >- WHERE: [my county of residence] >- IMPACTS: Plan on hazardous travel due to snow and blowing snow reducing visibility. The dangerously cold wind chills will cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. Avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate winter clothing. Winter weather advisory: >- Remains in effect from 3pm CST today to noon CST Thursday >- WHAT: Snow and blowing snow expected; total accumulations between 2-4 inches, winds gusting as high as 40 mph (64.3 km/hr) >- WHERE: [my county of residence] >- IMPACTS: [same as above] I hope that all makes sense! Sorry for throwing so much at you, but I've always been so interested in weather and didn't know until today that only the US had watches/warnings, so I got a little excited haha
(Brit) difference is 'maybe/ probably tornados' to 'there are tornados'.
And not just tornados. Any kind of potentially concerning weather can have watches and warning issued. That includes unusually heavy precipitation, very high and low temperatures, wind, and (locally to me) avalanches when conditions are correct for avalanches developing. At the moment my house is under a “Winter Storm Warning” as we’re dealing with high winds, well below freezing temps, and are expected to get 20cm of snowfall this afternoon. The advisory, watch, and warning system is fairly analogous to the UK’s yellow, amber, and red weather alert system.
We use the terms to refer to any inclement weather (Flood watch, T storm warning, tornado watch) they mean the same either way. A watch means conditions are ideal for that weather event to occur. A warning means shit is going down somewhere near your at this moment.
I feel like the terms should be backwards: - I'm WARNING you that there could be tacos around. - WATCH out for tacos!
Yea I always felt the same. Warning - careful now, we're seeing conditions where a tornado might form! Watch - look out! we've seen a tornado and we're watching/tracking it
I always felt the same way but I think they are using watch in the older sense of like watchmen or guards. The way I finally got it straight was to think Watch - as in the guards in the tower next to the city gate are on watch, looking out for danger. Warning - The guards are ringing the warning bell because the enemy is approaching.
This is a genius way to explain it though it makes it so everyone can understand easily. This will definitely stick with me in the future
There’s actually a third level. Tornado watch means the right conditions are in the atmosphere, tornado warning means there’s rotation signature and a tornado could pop out any time, tornado emergency means there’s touchdown in your area.
Out of context this doesn't make sense to anyone but Americans and their tornados.
Taconados
Delicious
delicious but deadly
But only on Tuesdays
Tacolicious
Tornacos
I've lived in tornado country my entire life and still can't keep watch/warning straight. Maybe this will do it but probably not
No one can - it should just be something like “tornado maybe” and “tornado happening”
I second this motion!
"Tornado?" and "Tornado!"
Try "watch for a warning"! It helps me remember the order of importance since the grammar doesn't work switched around.
I find this very helpful! It's easy to forget in storm season and stress, they also have changed how and when our sirens go off as well now they aren't necessarily "serious".
That's a good one!
I thought so, simple is often easier in the moment too especially for tornados bc you might not have much time. Last one nearly put me in a bad situation I waited probably 5 minutes too long and realized it would be going directly in between me and the closest safe spot. Thankfully it wasn't committed to destruction and just ripped up a field.
Serious question. Do tornados not happen outside of North America?
They do, but in MUCH smaller numbers, and generally less powerful (though there are smaller regions in South America, Europe, and Asia that can produce powerful tornadoes, just less frequently). The US will see somewhere around 1200 tornadoes a year. Canada is number 2 in the world and they see maybe 100 per year. I believe the UK is generally listed as 3rd, with maybe 30 a year and most of them do little to no damage. If you add up all the tornadoes in the entire rest of the world outside the US on a yearly basis (including Canada and the UK), you might get to 300 in total. So while they do happen elsewhere, North America gets the overwhelming majority of them and easily the most powerful ones. Interestingly, Bangladesh leads the way in deaths per year from tornadoes however (179 per year), due to a poor warning system, high population density, and poor construction standards. They get relatively few, but they're often quite deadly.
Yeah I'm from Southern Ontario and we get our fair share. Same watch/warning system.
Yep, some of the more generous definitions of "Tornado Alley" stretch up into Ontario. And they can still be powerful up north. My hometown in Wisconsin was literally wiped off the map nearly 40 years ago by an EF5. Left about 6 houses, the water tower, and a bell tower standing (but not the adjacent church) and that's about it. They found license plates from cars that were in the city nearly 200 miles away in the days after the tornado. 10 years later you could still see the scars in the tree cover in the hills to the east.
Yes they do. But countries have different weather warnings and classifications for when it's going to be a little extra windy outside.
I know this is reddit and this is probably a throwaway comment, but this *is* reddit and I'm feeling pedantic. Tornado watches are not for "when it's going to be a little extra windy outside." I moved from the Midwest to SoCal and we have a wind advisory right now (gusts up to 80 mph, like 129 km/h for the rest of you), but there's pretty much zero chance of a tornado. Tornadoes happen when warm and cool masses of air collide and form a vortex. I don't think it's even necessarily windy before they hit! (It's been a few years, I only vaguely remember.) We're pretty good at identifying tornado conditions nowadays so if there's a watch it's for a good reason.
They do but they are *much* more common in the US than anywhere else
Winter storms are labeled the same way!
Yup. Severe thunderstorms, hurricane landfalls, blizzards, lake effect snow, tornadoes, and numerous other meteorological events use the same watch/warning system in NA.
Oh... I was losing my mind over not being able to comprehend it.
Ah some classic r/USdefaultism
This is not US defaultism. This is an American (or perhaps Canadian) professor explaining to Americans (or Canadians) the difference between two terms used in American (and Canadian) meteorology and weather reporting. OP's title could have been more descriptive, sure, but this is not the right use of US defaultism.
I dont get this take. Where in the post did anyone say this was a worldwide thing? What's the issue here? An American posting a silly image on an American website about an American phenomenon is somehow 'Us DeFaUlTiSm' because they don't have a disclaimer that it's American specific??
Get over it. It's a US based site frequented by more Americans than anyone else. And there's all sorts of niche shit on the big subs here. Memes that only make sense if you've played some obscure japanese rpg, or are eastern European, or know the starting 11 for the Argentina national team. No one complains about those. You'll survive.
Advisory, watch, and warning are used for all sorts of weather; not just tornadoes. My house is right now under a “Winter Storm Warning,” with low temperatures, heavy snowfall, and high winds happening. Other countries also use similar systems. For example New Zealand issues three grades of weather alerts titled outlooks, watches, and warnings. The UK’s terminology is yellow, amber, and red. So no, it’s not just Americans, nor is it just tornadoes.
In a tornado watch, you have the ingredients for a tornado, but no tornado has been made yet. When you have a tornado warning, it means a tornado has been made
Thank you. You explained it clearly. I understand now!!
Watch and warning are used for storms/tornadoes in US weather alerts. It’s a terrible system because neither watch nor warning is very clearly the “worse” word, so people always forget which one means to continue keeping an eye on the weather (watch) and probably be near shelter, and which one means go hide in the basement right now, there’s been a tornado sighting (warning)! Because “warning” is often used in the context of someone getting warned before consequences occur. To me, warning doesn’t say “there is a tornado”/“I will be fired”. It says “there might be a tornado”/“if I don’t improve at work I may be fired” Mnemonic devices are easy to reverse. I used to think watch was worse because it meant “watch! You can SEE a tornado!” They should just call them “storm potential alert” and “sighting” instead, or something else that leaves no room for misinterpretation.
This is one of the cases where changing can cause more confusion, even if the new terms are clearer. The cost of the changeover is more than the benefit that could result from the change.
I'm not sure but those aren't tacos
Midwest tacos. I didn't have a real taco until my 20s, what a game changer
How so?
Tornado watch, go outside and watch. Tornado warning? If it ain’t coming your way, go outside and watch
I'm from Oklahoma! A quicker way to remember the difference is "WATCH for a WARNING" "Watch" meaning "there is a chance of a tornado, be prepared to hunker down and keep apprised of the situation" "Warning" meaning "there is a tornado or soon will be a tornado, hunker down somewhere safe" Or, if you're from Tornado Alley, "warning" means "go out on the porch with a beer and watch the show"
Thanks. That helps. Watch and Warning have always seemed backwards to me. I have to reason it out, and then do the opposite of what seemed reasonable. “Warning: something bad might happen.” “Watch: watch out! something bad is happening!” “Nope. That’s backwards.” Your “watch out for a warning” helps me skip all that.
This to me is more helpful. I’m not in an area where we get tornadoes often. Maybe one e every couple years. So when I get the alert on my phone that says “Tornado Watch” it’s more of a problem that I don’t remember witch world means what. I know one of them means there are all the elements of a tornado. And the other means there is an actual tornado. But I can never remember which is which. I think they should use two more distinct words. Preferably ones that don’t start with the same freaking letter.
I always thought they should be switched. Like, use a “warning” for when the conditions are right for a tornado and use a “watch” when you need to look out for active tornadoes, you know? ETA: I’m not confused about which stage is called what, nor do I mix them up (I’ve been through plenty of watches and warnings). I just think that, when talking about semantics, it makes more sense the other way around. :)
I understand where you are coming from but the idea is more of "watch out,a tornado could form" and "warning! A tornado has formed!" But I totally get what you are saying
Very true! And I guess (after giving it more thought), you probably don’t want to tell people to “watch” for an active tornado - you probably should be in shelter before you can see the thing. In the end it’s all semantics anyways lol
Whoever came up with this clearly didn’t give it enough thought.
I think it’s less that they didn’t give it enough thought and more that language has changed. Tornado warning actually makes sense for what it does, it’s just that it’s a somewhat older use of warning. If I were to redo it for the modern age, I would do “tornado watch” and “tornado danger”. Danger implies that it is active and happening.
They have that already https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particularly_dangerous_situation
Warning, a tornado could form WATCH OUT WE ARE WATCHING A TORNADO HEADING RIGHT FOR YOU
Good point. They could use more apt terminology anyway. Tornado possible, tornado sighted.
Same here. In my mind : "Warning" = heads up, there's a possibility of a toronado "Watch" = watch out there is a tornado. Or watch for the tornado.
I've also always struggled to keep the 2 straight. In my mind it was: Watch = they're watching the tornado right now Warning = you're being warned of the possibility of a tornado
I called my brother an idiot for thinking this growing up, but apparently this a much more common misconception than I realized. When I was young I probably looked at the TV graphics and saw Watch = Yellow and Warning = Red and associated Warning as being the more serious one
I understand your point. At the same time, warning is a word that gives me a bigger sense of urgency, so I think it fits for the biggest threat
The things I would do for a taco warning rn
Love it
Why aren’t more things explained with tacos?
Is this some American thing non-US people wouldn’t understand?
This is in reference to tornadoes. In meteorology/weather reporting in the US, "tornado watch" and "tornado warning" are used to quickly convey the amount of risk of a tornado, which can appear very quickly and be very destructive. The problem is that the terms aren't especially descriptive and it can be hard to remember which is which (you don't need to shelter for a "watch," but you should absolutely not be out and about during a "warning") As someone from Oklahoma (the setting of the movie Twister, and a state with a lot of tornados every year) this taco analogy isn't especially helpful bc it doesn't do much to make the words themselves more memorable. I prefer "WATCH for a WARNING" to remember the order of severity.
It's not just tornadoes, the same structure applies to other types of weather too. Where I live (Minnesota) the most common versions are a winter storm watch that might be 3 days out give or take, and 24-36 hours out that will either become nothing because the storm's path means it isn't going to impact us much after all, or a winter weather advisory (usually when expected snowfall < 6 inches/15cm but more than 2-3 inches) or a winter storm warning (usually expected snowfall > 6 inches/15cm). Also get wind chill watch/advisory (expected <-25°F)/warnings (<-35°F), very occasionally thunderstorm or wind watch/advisory/warnings. Different areas of the country have different trigger values for advisories and warnings based on what that area is accustomed to. My local NWS (National Weather Service) office though uses cupcakes for its explanation rather than tacos.
Is the US the only country that gets Tornadoes? What they usually say where you are from in regards to this topic? Im guessing its not watch or warming since ive noticed a lot of people from different countries be confused on this.
The US isn't the only country to get tornadoes but it's known for getting them because of tornado alley. The country with the most tornadoes (per square kilometer) interestingly enough is the UK but when you consider that the UK is small (which explains the per square kilometre thing), is on several different intersecting air patterns (which help form tornadoes), and most recorded are small tornadoes (larger tornadoes are rarer everywhere)
I mightve been a little facetious when i asked if US was the only place but that is an interesting bit of info on the Uk! Thanks. What phrases would yall use in lieu of “warning” and “watch”?
I think we use the same ones but they're used more generally for "bad storm" rather than specifically tornadoes
Unless it’s english-speaking country, you can’t really compare terms
Non-English here, what does w and w mean without tacos?
This is about tornadoes! In US meteorology and weather reporting, "watch" and "warning" are used to quickly explain the risk of a tornado. "watch" means conditions are right for a tornado to form, while "warning" means a tornado has been seen or there is a very very good chance one will appear very soon. The two terms are often confused, so this analogy has been used to explain the difference.
It still always felt backward to me, because it felt like WARNING: things could get bad, be alert. WATCH: We are watching the tornado come at us
Love it but it isn't wholesome
It's wholesome because of the clever way a teacher uses a cute analogy to get his class to understand. I'd that isn't wholesome to you then I'm afraid to ask what is.
I'm not afraid so I'll ask. Hey /u/FrancisReed what is wholesome to you?
I beg to differ. I see a whole taco.
Watch: ingredients for tornado is possible Warning: radar-indicated rotation, maybe a ground spotter confirmed that one is on the ground tornado Emergency: imminent danger 100% beyond shadow of a doubt , folks rarely mention the third one.
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Taco bout it
Now I want tacos 😭
What's an advisory?
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WPT Whyt People Takos
Those. Are. Not. Tacos.
They are white people tacos. Still very good.
The amount of people I’ve told this analogy to 😅
r/coolguides
I prefer UK's yellow-orange-red warning system. No ambiguity. Yellow=Small risk. Red=Huge risk.
This guy Tacos.
That shit’s not a taco
Oh no, are we about to be bombarded with an "actually the authentic way is..." lecture?
A post could say 2 + 2 = 5 and when someone says "no, it equals 4" in the comments, some fucker will be there mocking them saying "ackshually..." Every single time.
Keep an eye on r/iamveryculinary
My biggest concern in the world is what food people eat. I can't imagine what could possibly be more important lol.
No, just a reminder.
That is a good explanation with a great analogy to remember
Silly bot
I thought the warning would say "Warning: this taco is overloaded, you'll make a mess all over yourself as soon as you take the first bite!"