READER'S ROCK LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE VOL 2 ISSUE 4 NOVEMBER 2014 VOL 2 ISSUE 3 OCTOBER 2014 | Page 65

Best practices for improved warning processes continue to be examined after last year's rash of tornadoes. The National Weather Service released a report providing guidance to weather forecasting offices (WFOs) across the country on lessons learned from the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma in May 2013. The tornado that struck Moore, Okla., on May 20, 2013, is estimated to have caused $2 billion in damage. The El Reno, Okla., tornado of May 31, 2013, is believed to be the widest tornado ever recorded with a base of more than two and a half miles wide and wind speeds estimated to have reached 300 miles per hour. Among the many findings of the report was the need for better communication to the general public about multiple threats happening at the same time, such as both tornadoes and flash flooding. Another finding was the need for greater coordination amongst Integrated Warning Teams, usually consisting of emergency response agencies, government agencies,