Weather Page Help

Tap a question below to understand what this weather page is showing for this monitored location.

No active weather concern is shown

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Selected question: Why is the threat level this high?

Why this level?

The current level is based on the system's hazard evaluation, not just one radar image, one nearby rain area, or one storm cell.

Current assessment

  • Current storm/rain level shown by the page: CLEAR.
  • Current storm/rain explanation: The dashboard is showing nearby rain or tracked weather, but the current data does not show a tracked storm threat at the monitored site.
  • Lightning HOLD active right now: no.
  • NWS alert status: No NWS alerts.
  • System status: OK.

What the words on the threat meter mean

The words on the meter are the system's possible threat levels. They are shown as a scale so you can see where the current condition fits.

The words do not all mean they are happening right now. Only the active or highlighted level is the current assessment. Lower words may appear filled because the meter works like a ladder: when the current level is higher, the levels below it are also part of the filled scale.

  • None: no active site threat is currently shown.
  • Elevated: weather is being watched more closely, but the system is not showing a significant site threat yet.
  • Significant: stronger evidence suggests weather could affect the monitored site.
  • Damaging: evidence supports a damaging-weather concern for the site, such as stronger storm structure, damaging wind potential, or other stronger indicators.
  • Severe: high-confidence severe-weather concern for the monitored site. This should be checked against NWS alerts, radar, lightning, and staff/event procedures.
  • Extreme: the highest category. It is reserved for rare, high-impact situations with multiple strong supporting indicators.

What the score means

The score is an internal way for the system to combine weather evidence. A higher score means more evidence is supporting a higher threat level. The score is not a percent chance and it is not a guarantee that severe weather will happen. It is a decision aid used to help decide which public level should be shown.

Evidence checked

  • Radar returns and storm detections
  • Tracked storm motion and motion reliability
  • Storm groups or nearby rain/storm areas
  • Distance from the monitored site
  • Closest point of approach and estimated arrival when available
  • Radar intensity, storm core strength, and trend
  • Hail, wind, and rotation evidence when available
  • Lightning HOLD status
  • Active NWS alerts
  • Local weather sensor conditions
  • Feed freshness and system health

Why the level may not be higher

  • Nearby rain or storms may be present, but that alone does not mean the site threat is higher.
  • The level may stay lower if the storm is not moving toward the site.
  • The level may stay lower if the closest approach is too far away.
  • The level may stay lower if storm motion is unreliable or not mature enough.
  • The level may stay lower if radar trends are weakening or do not support a stronger threat.
  • The level may stay lower if there is no lightning HOLD and no active NWS alert for the monitored site.
  • The level may stay lower if data freshness or confidence does not support escalation.
Extreme is shown because it is part of the full scale. It does not mean Extreme is active unless that word is the current active/highlighted level. Extreme should be reserved for rare high-impact situations with multiple strong supporting indicators.

This level can change quickly if new radar data, storm motion, lightning, NWS alerts, or local conditions show a stronger threat to the monitored site.

This help page explains the monitored weather page. It does not replace official warnings, event rules, school policy, or instructions from responsible staff.