Are you aware of what the TOR:CON index number means?

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   prektjr.dcposted 11 years ago

   Are you aware of what the TOR:CON index number means?
   
   The TOR:CON index was created by Dr. Forbes of The Weather Channel to help us all be more aware of the probability of a tornado in our area.  It is a very useful bit of information.  If you want more information you can go to the website of The Weather Channel to learn more about it.  It is just one more step in being more tornado aware.
   
   

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2. 75

   SidKempposted 11 years ago

   Thanks for letting us know about this one. Here is the link: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index .
   
   One note, the scale reports for tornadoes within 50 miles. So even a very high scale (say 8, 80% chance of a tornado within 50 miles) is still a very low chance of a tornado striking you. Still, given the potential for devastation, injury, and fatality, taking precautions is appropriate.
   
   One element of the scale is unclear. It doesn't say whether its' a tornado appearing within 50 miles, or touching down on Earth within 50 miles. Many twisters don't touch down.
   
   Nothing I could find on The Weather Channel indicated how long the scale has been in use, whether it has been validated, and whether the TORCON method is reproducible, or is really just one meteoroligist's educated guess. So, as far as I can tell, TORCON has not yet been validated.
   
   There are a host of other Tornado scales, especially ones that measure damage after the fact, such as the TORRO scale and the Enhanced Fujiata Scale. Go to Wikipedia and search Tornado Scales for more.

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      prektjr.dcposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      GREAT comment!  My understanding....mind you not fact, is that it is a tornado touching down.  This is strictly a probability factor.  I believe it is a way to get people more aware of that probability and more prepared.  Thanks for commenting!

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      SidKempposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks - I see it as a bit sloppy that they don't say clearly "tornado forming" or "tornado touching down." I hope they improve in clarity and share actual results transparently over time so it becomes a tool based in solid stats.

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