What are the best ways to stay informed about severe weather?
As the seasons change in Chattanooga, volatile weather tends to follow. Here’s how you can be prepared for whatever the weather brings.
Graphic by Ian-Alijah Bey
By William Newlin and Trista Ridge
Fast Facts
Find a list of resources to help you make a plan for severe weather at ready.gov
The spring and fall are the most common times for severe weather in Chattanooga, but tornadoes can occur year-round
Severe thunderstorms are deadlier than tornadoes each year since they're more common. Lightning and flooding also pose a serious threat when storms hit
Understanding watches vs. warnings
Thunderstorm, tornado, and flash-flood watches mean conditions are favorable for severe weather, and they are typically issued three to six hours ahead of storms. Getting a watch alert is a good time to bring anything that's affected by wind inside.
Warnings are more immediate, telling people severe wind, hail, tornadoes, or flooding is happening now or could happen at any moment. Former Chattanooga meteorologist Brian Smith said warnings are a call to action to get inside, and in the case of tornadoes, to find a safe place away from windows on the lowest floor of your home.
Getting weather alerts
Hamilton County’s emergency management office sends out alerts to mobile devices, much like AMBER alerts, for the most severe weather events. While you may get notifications for tornado watches, they’re more likely sent for warnings.
Alerts are sent through the county’s 911 dispatch center, so residents and anyone passing through the area receive them.
Make sure you have emergency notifications turned on in your device’s settings to get information from the county, and remember, messages may not be received depending on cell service — that’s why it’s important to have multiple ways to receive weather information, such as a weather radio, local media broadcasts, and social media updates.
Weather radios
With a commercially available weather radio, you can tune in to local National Weather Service broadcasts like the one transmitting from Signal Mountain. Its frequency is 162.550 and covers all of Hamilton County.
Weather radios are handy in case a storm knocks out power or cell service and for storms that happen at night, like the 2020 tornado that hit East Brainerd after 11 p.m.
“It's a tone alert. It’ll wake you up in the middle of the night and could possibly save your life and/or your family's life,” said Anthony Cavallucci, meteorologist for the National Weather Service station in Morristown.
Local media and social media
Smith, a veteran of both WDEF and Channel 9 in Chattanooga, said local news channels remain a top source for real-time weather updates. Their social media pages offer timely information as well.
Local media links:
Other social media:
Twitter: Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security
Twitter: NWS Morristown, the National Weather Service Station covering Chattanooga and East Tennessee