IN TORNADO SEASON, words save lives. “After the US’s deadly tornadoes in 2011, the National Weather Service (NWS) found that residents waited for visible signs of the threat before responding. New warnings try to conjure those images in words.”

UPDATE: Reader Donald Gately writes: “Could you post another reminder of that service that calls/emails when there is a weather alert? I’ve put off signing up for it, and I want to get that done.” Sure. The info is here.