Dr. Robin Tanamachi:
“No warning” is such a familiar refrain, it’s practically a joke. Granted, we meteorologists are accustomed to being the butt of jokes. But “no warning” is worse than a tired tagline or an injurious cliché. It’s a libel that impugns the reputations of my colleagues in the National Weather Service (NWS).
This is an excellent take-down of Dianne Sawyer’s on-air statement of “no warning” regarding the January 22nd tornado outbreak.
On the larger scale, the Storm Prediction Center accurately detailed risks and issued watches with hours of lead-time. On the state level, National Weather Service offices in Little Rock, AR and Birmingham, AL issued a combined 28 tornado warnings.
In short, the “no warning” tagline from the media is a lazy and misinformed attempt to appease victims with someone to blame. Dr. Tanamachi makes an excellent case that “libel” perfectly describes these refrains.