Measuring A Storm's Tornadic Potential

The News On 6 WARN Team stays on top of every storm with the latest and most advanced technology. During severe weather you may hear the WARN Team make mention to a storm's BTI (Baron Tornadic Index). BTI is a tornado index. It measures the potential for a tornado within the storm. This gives you an idea of the level of risk a tornado is coming your way.

BTI is new software. It was in the developing stages for several years. In that time, hundreds of tornadic storms were studied. The results helped developers create a scale from 0-10 for measuring the potential for a tornado within a storm.

BTI is measured on a scale of 0-10. Here is a break down of the scale:

BTI of 0-3: Low risk of a tornado within a storm

BTI near 3: Potential for a tornado to develop within a storm

BTI of 5-6: Indicates a reasonably good chance of a tornado to develop or having developed within a storm

BTI greater than 6: Indicator of a tornado within a storm

Several elements are combined to determine a storms rating. A storms potential for producing a tornado is based on what the storm structure looks like compared to previous storms, climatology, and what a storm is currently doing.

News On 6 Chief Meteorologist Travis Meyer reminds viewers that in a matter of two to five minutes the BTI can change widely and rapidly depending on data. Since weather is always changing, Meteorologist Travis Meyer suggests you follow up with The News On 6 for the latest storm information.

You can track the storms with WARN Interactive Radar and get safety tips in our Storm Zone Section.

More severe weather is expected later on Monday.  You can get the latest WARN Team forecast in the NewsOn6.com Weather section.