Bruce Jones

Meteorologist/Spokesperson: Midland Radio Corporation

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Is your weather radio beeping? No Required Weekly Test this week, so it’s telling you it missed the test. Solution: turn ON/OFF switch OFF, then back ON. On Midland WR400: press WEATHER/SNOOZE twice. Weekly Test returns next week. #midlandusawx

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Will 2026 be a “quiet” hurricane season? 1992 was quiet, calm, and non-eventful until August, when a destructive monster named Andrew made history. If you live in a hurricane zone, prepare as if every year contains the threat of another Andrew. Because it does.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Highly sheared clouds yesterday evening in Kansas City led to a Severe Thunderstorm Watch through the overnight hours. Tilted updrafts allow severe storms to thrive and propagate. P.S. Wings & BLT sandwiches at The Peanut are legendary. Yo!

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

The rebuilt hospital, now called Mercy Hospital Joplin, can withstand a direct hit by an EF-5. Back-up generators are located 1/4 mile from the building, reducing the risk of power outage. This flooring uses glass shards from the original structure.

[June First @junefirstwx]

15 years ago years ago today, Joplin, MO was devastated by an EF5 tornado, becoming the worst tornado of the 21st century.

The story, meteorology, engineering, and social science that combines to create the worst-case tornado scenario.

[Midland Radio @MidlandUSA]

581 tornadoes have already been reported in the U.S. this year about 25% above average. Make sure you have multiple ways to receive alerts, including the gold standard: NOAA Weather Radio. Stay alert and stay weather aware.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

“Chance of showers” would have sufficed.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Topeka radar….wind speed near radar. Alma is just west of Topeka.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

130 years ago yesterday a huge tornado outbreak hit northeast Kansas. Today, Ryan Hall’s “Y’all Squad” came to Topeka to keep this area of Tornado Alley safe & protected. Thank you to everyone who generously donates to the Y’all Squad. Your support is greatly appreciated!

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

130 years ago yesterday a huge tornado outbreak hit northeast Kansas. Today, Ryan Hall’s “Y’all Squad” came to Topeka to keep this area of Tornado Alley safe & protected. Thank you to everyone who generously donates to the Y’all Squad. Your support is greatly appreciated!

[Midland Radio @MidlandUSA]

We are officially out!! Thank you to Dalton and the Y’all Squad, KSNT, and WIBW for all your help!! We gave out nearly 900 weather radios!! 👏🌪️

[Midland Radio @MidlandUSA]

Come get your FREE weather radio at the Stormont Vail Events Center!

We are here from 11 AM–1 PM, so take advantage of this opportunity and STAY WEATHER AWARE!!

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

HRRR Sounding for Brown County KS today (5/18/26) at 4pm. “Apocalyptic” might be the best description. Every family needs multiple ways to receive lif-saving warnings. A NOAA Weather Radio saves lives, so make it part of your family’s preparedness plan.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

NOAA Weather Radios should be as common as smoke detectors in homes, schools, and businesses. They save lives.

[Backpirch Weather @BackpirchCrew]

Audio recording of NOAA Weather Radio warning the town of Greensburg, Kansas of an impending EF5 tornado, at this time in 2007.

In the next half hour, 95% of Greensburg would be destroyed.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Today is the 27th anniversary of the May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak. Reminder to have a plan, and have multiple ways to get warnings!🌪️🚨 @MidlandUSA
Link to WR 120: https://t.co/LU81sANZbA

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

These tornadoes hit when kids were home from school but many parents still at work. ZERO fatalities under age 18. Why? Meteorologists’ visits to schools trained children how to act in, and survive tornadoes. Have a plan. And have a NOAA Weather Radio.

[MyRadar Weather @MyRadarWX]

At 6:57 p.m. on May 3, 1999, an F5 tornado was on final approach, about to raze parts of the southern Oklahoma City metro area. As it barreled up the H. E. Bailey Turnpike, forecasters at the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma knew what was about to happen. Dozens would perish, and that entire neighborhoods would be obliterated.

The warning meteorologist on duty knew a run-of-the-mill tornado warning wouldn't cut it. Shortly before 7 p.m., the office did something that hadn't been done before – they issued a "tornado emergency."

It was the first time that phrasing had ever been used. The spur-of-the-moment decision proved fateful. We've included photos of the radar at the time, what the tornado looked like on the ground AND what was going on behind the scenes that dreaded evening at the National Weather Center – where the alert originated.

Here's the text from the first-ever tornado emergency:

...TORNADO EMERGENCY IN SOUTH OKLAHOMA CITY METRO AREA...

AT 657 PM CDT...A LARGE TORNADO WAS MOVING ALONG INTERSTATE 44 WEST OF NEWCASTLE. ON ITS PRESENT PATH...THIS LARGE DAMAGING TORNADO WILL ENTER SOUTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE OKLAHOMA CITY METRO AREA BETWEEN 715 PM AND 730 PM. PERSONS IN MOORE AND SOUTH OKLAHOMA CITY SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE TORNADO PRECAUTIONS!

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS LARGE AND DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

Since then, there have been 314 tornado emergencies issued nationwide. The pioneered phrasing is now reserved only for the most significant events with the highest fatality potential.

On May 20, 2013, another tornado emergency was issued in Moore, Oklahoma as Another EF5 tornado barreled into the beleaguered community.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

@Trough_Digging Very true. In the course of my life the ‘65, ‘74, & 2011 outbreaks are seemingly regular, cyclical events. But personal perception of “reality” is not necessarily Reality. Excellent post, #RobertWx

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Excellent article about the giant hail that pummeled Springfield, Missouri USA this past week. Even if it doesn’t appear damaged, have a professional roofer inspect your roof. Minor cracked, dented shingles WILL fail in time. Document the damage now.

[NWS Springfield @NWSSpringfield]

For a summary of the event and hail reports, please see the Public Information Statement here: https://t.co/5ZyciMjKfB.... If you have any photos of hail 4 inches or greater and are willing to let us use them in our post-event materials, please send them our way!

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

Excellent point, Luke. I encourage county Emergency Managers to contact their local NWS office to institute Partial County Alerting (PCA) for NOAA Weather Radio alerts in their county. More focused alerts: that’s what The People want. Give it to them.

[Luke Dorris @LukeDorris]

Hearing a lot of “the warnings were trigger happy” for this record severe season in the KC area. The data shows the warnings have been justified, with 2026 having the highest storm reports of the past 20+ years.
The problem IMO is the warning zones are too large. They allow for wiggle room for where the core of the storm may go, but this leaves many people within the severe box that do not experience severe weather. This leaves an assumption that the storm was a “cry wolf.”
What we have today is far better than the old county-based warnings, but there’s still a high “false alarm” area.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

If you want to help fellow Americans weather their storms, please consider a cash donation to the Y’all Squad. They go where there’s been trouble, or trouble is coming. Thanks to Ryan Hall and his team for making this possible…and folks like you who make donations to the Squad.

[Ryan Hall, Y’all @ryanhallyall]

The Y'all Squad showed up in St. Louis today and handed out 1,000 NOAA weather radios drive-thru style. We want to make sure everybody has a way to get warnings before these big storms hit. Thank y'all for making this possible.

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

America has the most dangerous weather on the planet. If you haven’t had severe weather recently, it’s only a matter of time. Make sure you and your family have a plan, have an emergency supply kit, and keep up on daily weather forecasts. Have multiple ways to get warnings.

[Rich Thomas @RichThomasWX]

It happened 15 years ago today.  It was a day in weather history that simply can’t be compared to any other day.  In fact, it was our nation’s biggest Tornado Super Outbreak of all time.  Unfortunately, Alabama was Ground Zero.  By far, the hardest hit state – with 62 tornadoes and 252 deaths.  Nationally, on that day, there were 218 tornadoes and 317 deaths.  Even surpassing 1974, the previous benchmark.

But, it’s not just the number of tornadoes.  It’s the prolific number of violent tornadoes.  On that day, there was an unprecedented 4 EF-5’s.  An EF-5 is very rare indeed.   There were 11 EF-4’s, and 19 EF-3’s.  That’s more “significant” tornadoes than any other day in history. #alwx
https://t.co/7W01xGm4Bf

[Bruce Jones @CycloneJones1]

@iCyclone @cd_hooks Like Bob & Ray’s famous Wally Ballew interviewing the cranberry farmer.