In North America, the weather is monitored by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the U.S. and by Environment Canada Meteorological Service. Through a network of weather stations across the continent, data is collected and analyzed for routine weather reporting and for predicting storms.
Prediction of Storm Activity
Severe weather forecasters are always on the alert for weather patterns that could potentially cause thunderstorms or tornadoes. One of the ways of predicting storm activity is to analyze wind flow and temperature patterns. The moisture and instability in the air, combined with wind shear and lift are factors that contribute to thunderstorms and possibly tornadoes.
The primary analysis is conducted through computer modeling and it begins as soon as one or two days in advance of the anticipated arrival of the storm. At this point, the forecasting is somewhat inaccurate because the area under scrutiny is very large and the storm may not reach all sectors in this area.
