WCBI participates in NSSL’s “Hazardous Weather Testbed” experiment

COLUMBUS, Mississippi (WCBI) – Over the last two days, WCBI’s Chief Meteorologist Isaac Williams participated in a national weather experiment to help facilitate better ways to communicate weather information.

In a virtual meeting, Isaac along with select other broadcasters from around the nation, researchers from NSSL, and emergency managers (both state and local level) discussed how, given the same weather information, decision-making and communicating said weather information can and does vary. But, how can the two work better together? That was a big focus of this experiment.

Broken into smaller groups, the broadcasters discussed different strategies on how implementing new weather products would be in their routine. How would these new graphics and information be MOST beneficial to the viewer? What still needs to be changed? Much discussion and thought were put into these questions.

Rejoining a larger, singular group, broadcasters were then allowed to share their goals & findings with the emergency managers. NSSL researchers were taking careful notes along the way as the needed dialogue between broadcasters and EM’s continued.

The above image (from NSSL) is just one of many that were dissected between the two groups. It is the hope of this and many more experiments that new weather information can be even more useful and MORE life-saving in the years to come. A special thanks to NSSL Hazardous Weather Testbed for allowing Isaac to participate!