Most weather deaths are preventable — if people heed watches, warnings and the advice of local authorities.

But studies show those messages sometimes lack key information or are packed with jargon, leading to uncertainty at a time when people might need to take life-saving action.

“Those who are really familiar with different kinds of hazards or different kinds of events, it’s natural for them to use this scientific language or operational language,” said Jeannette Sutton, a researcher at the University of Albany and consultant who specializes in disaster and risk communication. “But it’s not as meaningful to the public as it is to the experts.”

Sutton and other scientists, including some at the National Weather Service, aim to change that by simplifying the different types of alerts people might see during heat waves, hurricanes, wildfires or other emergencies.

The language the media uses around severe weather can also directly impact how people respond to alerts.

Those word choices can mean the difference between life and death when it comes to taking action during a crisis.

Watches, warnings and advisories add to the confusion

Research published May 1 by Sutton and a colleague highlighted the misunderstanding of terms related in particular to heat, which kills more people in the U.S. each year on average than any other type of weather.

That followed a previous survey by the National Weather Service that showed people didn’t understand key weather messaging terms in general, like “advisory” and “watch.”

“There’s even a difference between an alert and warning, right? And sometimes this is confusing where we have alerts, we have warnings, we have advisories,” said Andrew Kruczkiewicz, a researcher at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness who specializes in extreme weather and climate events.

That’s one area where the weather service is making some changes. The agency plans to transition away from “advisory” in favor of plainer language that more clearly indicates what is happening.

A severe weather alert is displayed on an infield video monitor during a delay of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

“For instance, rather than seeing a headline of ‘Winter Weather Advisory in effect,’ the public may see ‘SNOW: Hazardous travel tonight,’” weather service spokesperson Marissa Anderson said in an email.

The effort is part of a broader initiative to more succinctly communicate the threat and the hazard it poses.

Anderson said the weather service also recently swapped out the term “excessive” for “extreme” in its heat warnings. Similarly, “wind chill” warnings and watches now use the term “extreme cold” instead.

Other research has shown differences in the way people respond to certain words. A 2020 study from the University of Georgia found that verbiage like “harsh,” “violent” and “unpredictable” can make people feel helpless or overwhelmed and those emotions could inhibit decision-making when dangerous weather is on the way.

Why weather messaging is so important

Sutton advises emergency managers on how to compose wireless emergency alerts, or WEAs. Those are the messages that squeal from cell phones when there is a critical incident or potential threat. They may include evacuation orders or warnings to take shelter — things that require an immediate response.

“We generally have specific kinds of questions that we want to understand before we can make a decision to take an action,” Sutton said, referring to the public in general. “We have to understand what the message is about and who it’s for and whether or not we’re directly affected and what’s happening.”

Those details are not always clear in WEAs or may be left out altogether, she said.

The information gap is even wider when vulnerable or underserved populations come into play, Kruczkiewicz said.

People who don’t have or can’t afford cellphones, for example, could miss out on WEAs, he said. And some may be less likely, or unable, to take action because of financial issues or health problems.

In this screen shot of a National Weather Service alert for a flash flood emergency is shown on a phone near St. Johnsbury, Vt., Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)

The elderly are especially vulnerable. After Hurricane Ida in 2021 knocked out power to most of New Orleans, at least five people died in excessive heat in low-income housing for elderly or disabled residents.

And more than half of the victims of California’s Camp Fire in 2018 were aged 70 or older, according to court records.

We also know that people die when they don’t act. In Pinellas County, Florida, last year, at least nine people who ignored evacuation orders died when Hurricane Helene slammed the Tampa Bay area.

The emphasis on better communication comes as scientists say global warming is driving more dangerous weather and disasters that are playing out in real time, like Helene and the Los Angeles-area wildfires in January.

Earth just experienced its hottest decade on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization, and researchers say the number of deaths connected to heat in the U.S. doubled over the past 25 years.

A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association attributed 2,300 deaths to heat-related causes in 2023 alone – a record high that they note is likely underestimated.

Journalists’ words — and images — can make a difference

Sutton said she’d like to see reporters who cover the weather focus more on vulnerable populations and the risks they face.

Images matter, too. She brought up heat as another example.

“We’ve learned that the images used of kids playing in sprinklers doesn’t help to raise people’s perception of risk, so using images that clearly show danger rather than fun is important,” she said. “Images of people that ‘look like me’ also help to personalize the impacts of weather, so selecting populations that people can see themselves in is important.”

And she said the same reminder about jargon stands true for those covering the weather. She noted speaking to a colleague in Florida recently about the term “heat index.”

“Do you know what that means?  Only someone with meteorological training will truly understand,” Sutton said.

Kruczkiewicz said journalists, just like anyone else, can prepare ahead of time. He recommends cultivating relationships with scientist sources who can help translate complicated information, whether that’s during an impending disaster or in ‘normal times.’

“To communicate risk is a privilege, and journalists, like all people within the chain of information, must acknowledge the accountability and responsibility present when propagating, or tailoring, risk information,” he said.