National Weather Service to Replace "Advisory" and "Special Weather Statement" Headlines

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021 -- 10:01 AM

The National Weather Service will replace its “Advisory” and “Special Weather Statement” headlines with plain language headlines that more clearly describe weather or water hazards.

This change will take effect no earlier than 2024 to allow the time needed for public outreach, partner preparation, and policy and software development.

National Weather Service “Watch” and “Warning” headlines will remain unchanged.  National Weather Service is streamlining the Watch, Warning, and Advisory (WWA) system after several years of social science research confirmed there is widespread confusion about National Weather Service headline terms.

Research showed that a large majority of the public and some partners misunderstand the meaning of “Advisory” and confuse it with “Watch”.  The new paradigm will better support emergency managers, who need plain language headlines to support clear communication, along with messages in a bulleted, easy-to-read format.

These improvements will promote a better understanding of forecast impacts during or leading up to significant weather and water hazards and in turn make way for a more Weather-Ready Nation.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.