What is a Weather Alert Day?

WDBJ7 meteorologists are committed to giving you as much time as possible to plan and react to upcoming severe weather. Our goal is to communicate that advance notice by issuing a “Weather Alert Day” ahead of any impactful or hazardous weather. This is our way of giving you as much time as possible to make plans, be adequately prepared, and most importantly, get your attention to remain weather-aware leading up to the disruptive weather. It’s NOT a way to hype or scare you. Rather, prepare you for what’s ahead, well in advance.

These are a few of the instances where a Weather Alert Day may be issued.

Storm Prediction Center has much of our area in a Slight Chance or higher for severe thunderstorms and/or increased tornado risk. This means Level 2, 3, 4 or 5 on the alert scale.
Winter storm or impactful snow and/or ice
Heavy rain that may lead to flooding
Continuous rain or flooding that may impact the morning/evening commute
Tropical threat
Excessive wind events that may lead to downed trees and outages
Dangerous heat or cold

When Weather Alert Days are issued, there will always be more information on the duration of the event as well as the location of those most impacted. Not all events will last the whole day, nor will all locations be impacted equally. The Weather Alert Day is to draw your attention to the day of the event. Here’s what to look for.

ON-AIR

Our 7-Day graphic will show the Weather Alert Day in red with an Alert Day icon at the top. This may be visible several days leading up to the Weather Alert Day to give you advanced notice.

Weather segments will appear near the beginning of the newscasts to allow meteorologists to give you any updates to the forecast first.

WDBJ7 WEATHER APP

Download the WDBJ7 Weather App to get instant alerts and updates for your hometown. When you open the App you will see any Weather Alert Day highlighted in RED to bring attention to the possible impacts.
Read any alerts, review forecast briefings, and watch videos to assure you have the latest information.

WDBJ7.com

Active Alerts will be in a colored bar at the top of the website. Click for detailed information for your area.
A Weather Alert Day article will appear at the top of the homepage with forecast details updated throughout the event.
Watch WDBJ7+ for live updates throughout the day on our digital stream and on Facebook Live

Learn more about Severe Weather Safety by visiting our weather resources section.