Joplin changes tornado siren policy
Joplin city officials have changed the city's outdoor warning siren activation policy as the result of an unwarned EF1 tornado that struck the west side of the city April 24, damaging city properties in the area of Schifferdecker Park and some residential properties in west Joplin.
The change has been made for the safety of the Joplin residents during severe thunderstorms, according to a city statement.
The change is a result of the National Weather Service now labeling some storms with a "tornado possible" tag.
The updated policy is intended to provide clearer activation criteria for sounding sirens and reducing unnecessary siren activations outside a storm-threatened area, according to the information given by city officials.
Previously, storm sirens in Joplin were not activated when the weather service issued a thunderstorm warning with a "tornado possible" tag. But the decision has been made to change that policy because weather can rapidly develop into a tornado, as it did April 24, the city reported.
Rated as an EF0 or EF1, that tornado had peak winds of 95 mph. It damaged an outdoor maintenance storage building at Schifferdecker Golf Course. The tornado then tracked northeast, knocking over some trees and causing minor roof damage to several homes in west Joplin.
Joplin's fire chief, Gerald Ezell, said city officials have notified the Springfield office of the weather service "regarding our desire to see a tornado warning issued whenever they believe there may be a tornado-like rotation on radar in our area."
He said that adding a "tornado possible tag" does not trigger alerts on mobile devices nor do most cities trigger tornado sirens, Ezell recently told the Joplin City Council.
"The city strongly believes that the best way to protect life and property in Joplin is for the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning whenever rotation is indicated over Joplin on radar. However, in the interest of protecting the people of Joplin, this policy change is warranted as we adapt to the National Weather Service's practice of adding ‘tornado possible' tags when they spot possible areas of rotation embedded within severe thunderstorms," Ezell said in a statement issued by the city.
Under the revised policy, storm sirens will be activated when the weather service in Springfield issues a tornado warning, a severe thunderstorm warning with a "tornado possible" tag, or a trained storm spotter reports a tornado in Jasper or Newton counties or Cherokee County, Kansas, and when the projected track includes Joplin.
The "tornado possible" tag definition also could trigger storm sirens when the weather service reports a storm system producing life-threatening winds of 75 miles per hour or greater with a storm path projected to hit Joplin.
For more information about the policy implementation or operational procedures, contact Dave Holden, city of Joplin/Jasper County Emergency Management Coordinator, at 417-624-0820, ext. 1260.
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