AccuWeather exclusively provided life-saving tornado warnings BEFORE damaging tornadoes struck the greater Houston Metro and Southern Louisiana for second time within 48 hours
In one case, the National Weather Service and all other known sources issued a warning AFTER the tornado was on the ground causing damage.
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Severe weather produced multiple tornadoes in Texas, which have gone on to cause widespread damage to homes and businesses throughout the Lone Star State on Dec. 28.
AccuWeather customers and users were best prepared for multiple damaging tornadoes, which struck in and around the Houston Metro and southern Louisiana again on Saturday afternoon, December 28, 2024, causing downed trees, overturned vehicles, and damage to homes and businesses. AccuWeather Storm Warning meteorologists exclusively issued numerous lifesaving SkyGuard® Tornado Warnings BEFORE tornadoes struck. In contrast, the government’s National Weather Service (NWS) and all other known sources issued AFTER the tornadoes touched down.
AccuWeather’s superior warnings benefited AccuWeather For Business SkyGuard® customers and customers of the AccuWeather Premium+ feature in the AccuWeather app.
Hillcrest, Texas
AccuWeather Expert Storm Warning Meteorologists issued a lifesaving SkyGuard® Tornado Warning, which exclusively provided 11 minutes of advance notice BEFORE a tornado struck Brazoria County and southern parts of the city of Hillcrest, Texas, within the Houston Metro. Tragically, the tornado was fatal, and five people were injured. The EF2 tornado caused significant damage to several homes, including severe damage to most of Walt Disney Elementary School. As has been the case with many other situations, AccuWeather was the ONLY known source to provide advance notice of the damaging tornado with dangerous, swirling peak winds of 125 mph. The NWS and all other known sources issued a tornado warning for this area only as the tornado was touching down.
Galveston Bay, Texas
As the severe thunderstorms rolled farther east into Chambers County just east of Galveston Bay, TX, a damaging tornado developed between Smith Point and Oak Island, Texas. AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologists exclusively provided the most advance notice of any known source, providing 45 minutes of advance notice. In comparison, the NWS and all other known sources only provided 12 minutes of advance notice of the initial tornado touching down. AccuWeather once again provided 16 minutes of additional advanced notice for this specific area of southeast Texas over other known sources as the tornado traveled east and approached Port Arthur, TX.
New Llano, Louisiana
AccuWeather Expert Storm Warning Meteorologists issued a lifesaving SkyGuard® Tornado Warning, which exclusively provided 4 minutes of advance notice BEFORE a tornado struck just south of New Llano, LA, Saturday afternoon, causing damage to homes and outbuildings. As has been the case with many other situations, AccuWeather was the ONLY known source to provide advance notice of the damaging tornado with dangerous, swirling peak winds of 80 mph. The NWS and all other known sources issued a tornado warning for this area only after the tornado had already been on the ground for two minutes, causing damage.
>> LEARN MORE: AccuWeather's SkyGuard Severe Weather Warnings
AccuWeather's More Advance Notice
In advance of the increase in tornado risk, AccuWeather Storm Warning Meteorologists issued an AccuWeather AlertTM for Tornado Threat for the Houston metro area and southeastern Texas. This threat notification was issued six-plus hours before the first tornado touchdown, highlighting the potential for tornadoes. Some of the initial tornadoes were never covered by a government-issued Tornado Watch, or if the tornadoes were covered by a tornado watch, the watch provided very little advance notice, as counties were added to the watch with less than an hour's notice.
Four days in advance and a day ahead of all other known sources, including the National Weather Service, AccuWeather accurately predicted that thunderstorms near the Gulf Coast and Southeast United States could contain damaging winds, tornadoes, and hail on Saturday and Saturday night. Our goal is always to help keep you, your family, or your employees safer and provide the most advance notice so you can make the best decisions every time.
>>READ MORE: TORNADO ALLEY: Where is it and what you need to know
A tornado that touched down near Katy, Texas, on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. (Danny Thigpen via Storyful)
AccuWeather Advantage
As a result, people and businesses relying on NWS warnings directly or all other known weather sources that simply distribute NWS tornado warnings would have had very limited or, in several cases, NO NOTICE of the imminent life-threatening emergencies before the tornadoes touched down.
Government cell phone alerting (wireless emergency alerts) would not have been triggered, outdoor sirens would not have been activated, and other emergency notifications from other agencies may not have been issued, as those notification methods depend upon National Weather Service warnings. Only those systems based on AccuWeather Warnings, including National Weather Service warnings but supplemented by the expertise of AccuWeather's expert Storm Warning Meteorologists, would have been activated.
This is another of the many weather events for which AccuWeather provided superior forecasts and more valuable impact descriptions to people, communities, and businesses, helping them better prepare and stay safer.
More than 100 times every year, AccuWeather has been documented as providing more accurate, more advance notification of significant and extreme weather events that impact businesses and threaten the health, welfare, and lives of individuals. AccuWeather is proven to be the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings.
