National Weather Service to get more specific on severe thunderstorm warnings

Starting next week, the National Weather Service will begin using more specific lingo to alert residents to the severity and potential impacts from thunderstorms — similar to tornado and flash-flood warnings.

Why it matters: 13 of the 22 billion-dollar weather and climate events in the U.S. last year were severe thunderstorms.

What to expect:

• Destructive: Baseball-sized hail and/or 80mph winds; will activate cell-phone alerts.
• Considerable: Golf-ball-sized hail and/or 70mph winds; no cell-phone alert.
• Baseline: Quarter-sized hail and/or 50mph winds; no threat tag means the storm is expected to be at or below base level.