How does the National Weather Service define severe weather?
There are many forms of hazardous, or severe weather. The primary mission of the National Weather Service is to provide forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property. Forecasts can range from the climate and seasonal outlooks for agricultural interests provided by the Climate Prediction Center (www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov), to the daily county forecasts for the public issued by local NWS offices. The NWS issues warnings for heavy snow, freezing rain, high winds, flash flooding, river flooding, thunderstorms, tornadoes, tropical storms, and hurricanes. In a broad sense, these are all defined as severe weather as any of them can and do pose a threat to life and property.
