GRAND RAPIDS (WKZO-AM) — The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids spent the better part of the week collecting data on last Saturday’s tornadoes, determining where they touched down, the kind of damage they did, approximate wind speeds and how many there were.
But why?
Meteorologist Cort Scolten says it’s not because insurance companies are clamoring for the information. They don’t apparently care whether it was a tornado or just a big wind that knocked the tree into your home when deciding whether to pay off.
He said they study the data so the next time a similar storm blows in off of Lake Michigan, they can recognize the signs on their radar and issue warnings earlier, possibly saving lives.
Scolten said the National Weather Service does a comprehensive analysis of all severe weather events to understand them, and to aid archetechs and engineers in the design of structures that can withstand the forces at work.
They were able to issue warnings to help avoid injuries last weekend, but their record of issuing warnings for previous tornadoes had been pretty dismal.
