Communicating Weather Information to the Public: People's Reactions and Understandings of Weather Information and Terminology
P1.3 COMMUNICATING WEATHER INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC: PEOPLE©S REACTIONS AND UNDERSTANDINGS OF WEATHER INFORMATION AND TERMINOLOGY SCOTT W. POWELL* National Weather Center REU Program, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma; and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, Florida H. DAN O©HAIR University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 1. Introduction different groups of people (Pennesi, 2007). For example, among hurricanes, the general public Forecasts of weather phenomena have become recognizes the cone released by NOAA©s National increasingly accurate over the past several decades. Hurricane Center forecasts for the future track of While increasingly complex mesoscale models have troipcal cyclones by several names, including ªcone of been developed, ensemble forecast techniques have deathº, ªcone of uncertaintyº, or ªcone of deathº, been improved, and strides in graphical interpretation among several others, and confusion results concerning of weather data for public use have been enhanced, the actual meaning of these cones (Broad, et al., 2007). problems still remain within the weather community In order to improve ªenvironmental literacyº within the that hinder progress of the discipline (Mass, 2005). general public, one must first decide how to disseminate Among these problems arises the necessity to optimally weather information optimally so that the largest convey weather information to the public in ways that audience, ideally everyone affected, may make correct the greatest number of citizens will understand in order decisions. to make potentially important decisions regarding life The study reported here focuses on predicting and property. In fact, the US government has relevant characteristics for understanding and reacting prioritized this issue with the ªEnhancement of to weather information based on demographic environmental literacy and improvement of information.
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