NWS talks severe weather

The National Weather Service held a presentation in Joplin Thursday night about staying aware during this severe weather season. Jasper County Emergency Manager Keith Stammer and NWS’ warning coordination meteorologist Steve Runnels hosted the event.

“We have to recognize just how bad mother nature can get but there is so much interest in it. There’s so much desire to know more about these thunderstorms. That’s one thing the National Weather Service wants to do is to increase the knowledge, the awareness and ultimately the response to our warnings.” said Runnels.

The presentation focused on identifying different types of thunderstorms and how to prepare for the different storms themselves.

“It’s nice the NWS can put out a forecast days in advance. It’s nice that the local media can broadcast that information into people’s living rooms but until they know what to do about it, all those efforts are going to be reduced in terms of effectiveness,” added Runnels.

You can also get severe weather notifications sent directly to your phone by downloading the KZRG mobile app.