National Weather Service Severe Weather Categories used in Outlooks (the ‘Ready’ phase):

I much prefer to use the numerical category, rather than the words. Personally I think the current word descriptions, although understood by meteorologists, are not helpful to the general public. For example, a ‘Moderate Risk’ can mean long-lived, widespread and intense severe weather — that’s doesn’t sound ‘moderate’ to me! Conversely a a threat category of ‘4’ (which is where ‘moderate’ falls) on a scale of 1 to 5 should get most people’s attention.

Here’s my personal interpretation for RV’ers:

• Category 1: Acknowledge that it’s out there
• Category 2: Stay informed; be aware
• Category 3: Stay informed; be prepared; make sure you have a plan whether you are on the road or camping
• Category 4: Avoid if feasible; otherwise do everything in Category 3 and prepare to shelter in a sturdy structure
• Category 5: Avoid if at all possible. If you cannot avoid, stay near a good shelter. Do not risk being on the road.

Where to get Severe Weather information

If you look through the RVWeather.com homepage, there are a number of places to get severe weather information, from the current weather warnings and latest forecasts, to the actual severe weather watches and warnings. These watches and warnings update 24/7 in real-time. You can also see the ‘Severe Weather’ risk for the next three days, and the 4-8 Day Severe Outlook.