You may have noticed that the newspapers or TV presenters talk about a orange forest fire warning, or gale warnings on a yellow level?
Weather warnings shown on Yr originate from The Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET) and The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE). Both MET and NVE issue colour coded weather warnings in yellow, orange and red.
In the winter of 2018 the weather warning icons on Yr was updated to reflect the colour of the severity level.
PS: The international standard for avalanche warnings differ somewhat from the other weather warnings, but on Yr they are all presented in the same way.
Yellow = moderate
A moderate situation that requires vigilance and may cause local damages.
Yellow weather warnings are issued when the expected consequences are minor. Most people may go about their day as planned, but if you are planning a day out, you should be attentive and check if the weather situation really is safe in the area you are heading to. There might be be local power outages, delays in traffic and wind might make it dangerous to be outside in the mountains.
Sometimes yellow warnings will be issued when the consequences might be severe, but the probability is very low.
It is always important that you read the whole text in the weather warnings, to be able to evaluate the impact for you.
Orange = serious
Severe situation that occurs rarely, requires contingency preparedness and may cause severe damages.
Orange warnings are issued when the expected consequences will be substantial for many people. There is an increased probability of bad or extreme weather, potentially disrupting plans and causing travel delays, road and rail closures, interruption to power and the potential risk to life and property.
Be prepared to change your plans and protect you, your family and community from the consequences of the severe weather.
Orange warnings will also be issued if the consequences might be extreme, but the probability is too low to issue a red warning.
Red = extreme
Extreme situation that occurs very rarely, requires immediate attention and may cause severe damages.
Take action to keep yourself and others safe from the consequences of the weather.
You will only see a red warning when the expected consequences are extreme. It is very likely there will be widespread damage, travel and power disruption and even risk to life.
Avoid dangerous areas and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.
More about awareness levels:
- Avalanche warnings on varsom.no
- Warnings for floods and avalanches on varsom.no
- Weather warnings from The Norwegian Meteorological Institute