KTA Changes Policy on Social Media Tornado Warnings to Avoid Public Confusion

KAKE News reports that the Kansas Turnpike Authority tweeted a tornado warning on October 4 even though the National Weather Service did not. Turnpike CEO Steve Hewitt tells the station, ‘What we’ve seen recently is that we’ve created some confusion with the public. . . .” KTA uses information from AccuWeather, a private firm, to provide severe weather warnings to motorists, and AccuWeather forecasts sometimes differ from those of the National Weather Service. Hewitt says KTA will continue to post AccuWeather warnings on roadside digital signs, but it will not relay the warnings through social media to avoid confusing the public.