TV as tornado detector

[crt89]

I remember once years ago hearing about using color TVs as tornado detectors, supposedly the screen would change to white or all one color on channel 2 if there was a tornado. Lightning would produce colored bands or white bands. From what I read more recently, this wasn't a reliable way to detect a tornado. Anyone remember this?

[WISCOJIM]

Yes, in fact I came across a printed instruction sheet for this a couple of weeks ago. I was going to share it here, but forgot to pull it from the pile of stuff I was sorting that day, so it is back lost in one of many piles of radio/TV literature in my basement. If I see it again in the not to distant future, I'll post it here.

It was known as the "Weller Method", and by Googling for it you will find it has been debunked.

Here is some info from USA Today ( https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/wtwistqa.htm ) :

Q: When I was a young person, I recall a rumor that the close proximity of a tornado could be "seen" by tuning your television (black and white in those days) to channel 13, darkening the screen, then turning to channel 2 to see if the screen was dark or bright (or something like this). Is there any method to use a television for such a purpose?

Answered by: John Snow, dean of the College of Geosciences at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.

A: You are referring to what was (or is called) the "Weller Method" of tornado detection (named after its proponent). This was a popular technique a decade or so ago, when people still had individual TV antenna's. The idea was to use the TV set as a lightning detector (a detector of the radio waves emitted by a lightning flash), and under some conditions it would work. The idea was that tornadic thunderstorms were very active lightning producers. However, the method had (has) several shortcomings. Not all tornadic storms produce large amounts of lightning. TV's are not all equally sensitive, and in fact some are made to filter out lightning signals. If you are connected to cable, it won't work. The bottom line is that the method provide completely unreliable in actual field tests. Did it work sometimes? Yes, but most of the time it did not -- it either indicated a tornadic storm when none occurred, or it did not indicate the presence of such a storm when in fact one was nearby. In meteorological terms, its success score was too low and its false alarm rate too high to be of use.

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[dieseljeep]

Tornados only broadcast in Analogue.

[centralradio]

I remember one of the electronic magazines had an article on this topic.Cant recall if it was Radio Electronics or Popular Electronics.

[crt89]

I am having a hard time remembering, but my parents had a Sears SR2000 13" color dial tune TV from the 80s in their bedroom. It really seems like I read about this tornado thing in the manual for that TV. But I cannot imagine a manufacturer actually suggesting to do something like that when it wasn't a confirmed theory.

[init4fun]

Now I don't know about specifically detecting Tornados , but I have an AM radio in the garage that I listen to for traffic & weather reports , and when there is lightning ( or any electric motor with brushes) nearby it'll certainly let you know about it . The motors of course are a constant whine (till turned off) but the lightning makes a crackling that sounds like , , well , pretty much like how lightning itself sounds .

[Ed in Tx]

I remember reading about that! Probably Popular Mechanics 3-'69...

The whole article here.

[Celt]

I remember that magazine! Read that article in our public library!

[Ed in Tx]

Originally Posted by Celt

I remember that magazine! Read that article in our public library!

I probably read it in my high school library. I was a senior that year. Seniors 69!

[Chip Chester]

NTSC -- National Tornado Sensing Capability
ATSC -- All Twisters Seem Calm

Chip

[Sandy G]

I dunno SPECIFICALLY about tornados, but it was pretty well beat into us to always shut off the power & antennas when a big,nasty thunder boomer rolled thru. My maternal Granny was absolutely TERRIFIED of storms, but her daughter-my mom -LOVED them. Their house was on a slight rise,& they had an incredibly excellent site to watch/see thunderstorms & snowstotms come thru..Kinda FREAKY when in the middle of winter, it would be snowing to beat the band, & then the thunder & lightning cranked up as well..

[zeno]

I remember this from the 60's. Never tried it, not many
twisters in my area. Needless to say it was never covered at
any Skywarn training. Just use NOAA wx radio & radar.
Dont forget local TV often has there own now & can cover there
area better than NOAA radar often.

73 Zeno
LFOD !

[Ed in Tx]

I remember trying it one time when storms were coming. Back when we didn't have a Channel 2 on the air in DFW. I recall the lightning was certainly displayed as flashes across the Silvertone 19" color set my parents had then. No tornadoes detected that one time. Not long after that I discovered the radio amateur weather net that would show up on 146.88 a popular Dallas amateur radio repeater, and the TV detection was history.

[centralradio]

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I probably read it in my high school library. I was a senior that year. Seniors 69!

Originally Posted by Celt

I remember that magazine! Read that article in our public library!

Originally Posted by Ed in Tx

I remember reading about that! Probably Popular Mechanics 3-'69...

The whole article here.

I dint remember that PM issue probably I was only 8 or 9 years old at the time but I do remember it was covered in the electronics mags later on.

[centralradio]

Did not use any TV when a small twister came through the neighboring town years ago.I saw the dark, often greenish sky outside the supermarket an knew something was up.On the way home the rain was coming down so hard it was like driving the car through a waterfall.Major damage but Luckily nobody got hurt or killed that day.