Are the Media Correct to use the term Mini Tornado?

[Somerset Squall]

I've voted no, are we going to go round calling everything "mini"? eg. a weak cat1 hurricane a "mini" hurricane? It just doesn't make sense.

[Upgrade]

I've voted no, are we going to go round calling everything "mini"? eg. a weak cat1 hurricane a "mini" hurricane? It just doesn't make sense.

it works the other way round with snow.

a "mini" amount tends to be called a "blizzard" by the the public and media , even when its just a heavy flurry lasting 30 mins with no wind behind it.

i can't wait for the day there's a real blizzard in London (if we ever get one again). It'll scare the pants off people!

[Sam Jowett]

To add to my previous post.

1. Most people don't undertand the wind scale, and wouldn't know what a Force 5 wind was. Why on earth do we think they will understand the F scale.

2. Most people will never see a Tornado in there life, nor will it ever effect them, some people can't een be bothered to learn what an APR is. Do we really expect a newpaper to give a 2 or 3 paragraph explaining about tornado's every time they mention them.

3. We use words such as mini all the time in weather, i.e "mini heatwave", exactly the same arguments could be used, it's either a heatwave or it's not.

Or how about when we said it's a bit windy outside. etc etc

1. There's no need to explain the scale, simply calling it a "tornado" should get the message across. It's important the public don't think that a weak tornado can't still be very damaging... it's probably the most extreme weather they could experience.

2. Agreed, most won't ever see a tornado, but if they do and it's coming towards them, expectation of something dangerous could save their life... apathy by use of the term mini could get them killed! Who said anything about 2 or 3 paragraphs? If education is important to the paper then they can do that. Alternatively they could just report accurately. Daft really, recent tornado reports in the papers were massively sensationalised, yet there was this contradiction in terms by using the term mini! The media could definitely improve by reporting accurately...

3. Other usage of diminutive terms is less inappropriate because it doesn't create apathy for momentary decision which could save their life. Also, people are far more familiar with the other conditions you've mentioned.

Do I detect you're a journalist of some kind? :lol:

[Nick F]

To add to my previous post.

1. Most people don't undertand the wind scale, and wouldn't know what a Force 5 wind was. Why on earth do we think they will understand the F scale.

2. Most people will never see a Tornado in there life, nor will it ever effect them, some people can't een be bothered to learn what an APR is. Do we really expect a newpaper to give a 2 or 3 paragraph explaining about tornado's every time they mention them.

3. We use words such as mini all the time in weather, i.e "mini heatwave", exactly the same arguments could be used, it's either a heatwave or it's not.

Or how about when we said it's a bit windy outside. etc etc

I can understand that many people reading the rags aren't particularly concerned about the technicalities of grading tornadoes, and there's no need to go into detail about the F and T scales used. Just reporting the potential danger even a minor tornado in the UK can do is adequate, and gets the message over to readers more easily than trying to get them to understand a scaling system.

As I and others have mentioned, the way the press label every tornado in the UK as 'mini', even the Birmingham one in some reports, gives the impression that it is somewhat less harmless than one that isn't - i.e tornadoes in the Mid-West. This kind of belittling of something that could potential seriously injure someone, even if it is only F1 or T2 what have you, is what annoys people here that know the potential damage that even a low category tornado would inflict and brings a false sense of security - along with the dangers of speeding on a motorway in dense fog, torential rain or icy conditions on country roads.

[Iceberg]

Sam, I am not a journo,honestly

So we can call it a minor one, a weak one etc but not a mini one.?.

That seems bizarre to me, but we can call a small car a mini or a small heatwave a mini etc.

At the end of the day surely what's important is that the paper gives the right impression to the public.

I've argued this many times, more people probably die drowning in a Bath than through a Tornado in the UK.

You can't acurately forecast Tornado's in the UK and certainly not there intensity.

So why bother IMO.

Mini means small, compared to what most of the public thinks a tornado looks like, most of the Tornado's in the country are "mini".

As I say why should a Tornado be any different.?

Matt Swift

[Essan]

Yes, mini means small.

So, are miniature tornadoes ones which are much shorter than normal sized tornadoes?

[Andy Bown]

Yes, mini means small.

So, are miniature tornadoes ones which are much shorter than normal sized tornadoes?

No, because that would either make them Funnel Clouds, or be because they've come from a mighty low cloud .

[Paul Sherman]

Good Grief I have nearly given up on this thread, 1/6 of people think it is okay with "Mini Tornado" THERE IS NO SUCH THING !! :lol: There that is better, I wonder if this is a USA V GB Thing in being everything is Huge in the States and on such a smaller scale in the Uk, Most of this years Tornadoes in the US Have been of the same strength as The Hants & Wales Tornadoes and the Peterborough and Birmingham ones last year, As I say I have read and re-read this thread a few times now and I am still shaking my head in Dis-belief.

Paul Sherman

[Sam Jowett]

Sam, I am not a journo,honestly :lol:

So we can call it a minor one, a weak one etc but not a mini one.?.

That seems bizarre to me, but we can call a small car a mini or a small heatwave a mini etc.

At the end of the day surely what's important is that the paper gives the right impression to the public.

I've argued this many times, more people probably die drowning in a Bath than through a Tornado in the UK.

You can't acurately forecast Tornado's in the UK and certainly not there intensity.

So why bother IMO.

Mini means small, compared to what most of the public thinks a tornado looks like, most of the Tornado's in the country are "mini".

As I say why should a Tornado be any different.?

Matt Swift

LOL, it's you Matt!

I'm not a fan of mini, small, or weak to be honest... that's not the impression you'll get if one whacks you around the side of the head!

You said yourself though, "what's more important is that the paper gives the right impression to the public", which I completely agree with. I think use of mini gives the wrong impression.

Consider the Bow Street tornado on Tuesday... a large proportion of the media called it mini, yet no-one actually saw it. As it happens, it was quite strong too, particularly for a UK tornado, so use of mini was wholly misleading and inappropriate.

Also, you say "Mini means small, compared to what most of the public thinks a tornado looks like, most of the Tornado's in the country are "mini".". Of course the public thinks a tornado looks like the major ones in the US, that's all the media this side of the pond are going to report on, but as mentioned above, 85% of US tornadoes are comparable to our own. It's less misleading to be vague about the size/strength of the tornado, because 1. the media probably don't know anyway, and 2. the public will regard a tornado as a threat if they actually see one.

[TreizeVents]

We have the same battle in France against the media and their "mini-tornades"

--> http://forums.infoclimat.fr/index.php?show...=17148&st=0

[fuzion]

what it all comes down to is the medias and public's perception that everything is bigger and better and bader in the US thus if when we get a tornado in the uk its mini because its of less power to the F4 & F5s in the US that are mainly reported in the uk media so when we get a T1-T4 which as we have seen causes damage some very bad its still not seen to be total devastation like the F4 & F5s but still makes it in no way shape or form mini after all its still a tornado and we have the T scale for a reason, the US media use there F scale when describing a tornado they dont say a mini tornado rips through wherever when reporting on a F1 do they neither should the uk media they need to be educated and informed of the T scale as with the increase of tornadoes happening etc and being reported etc it needs to be reported correctly to the public so they can be aware of the dangers of even an T1-T2 because your more likely to sit up and listing if its reported as a T2 tornado than if its reported as a mini tornado because most people would just think o mini no damage then nothing to worry about just a lame mini uk tornado when it should by no means be taking so lightly as this i feel could endanger lives it needs to be reported properly and i feel we should all on here and all weather forums send emails explaining this to all the major media outlets could one of the mods possibly get the appropriate email addresses for the media outlets and post on here plz so we can tell them in mass il look for the emails too and post in here if i get some we will unite and educate the media so they can correctly educate the public or that's the the plan anyway lol

sky news contact emails i found here http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,70131-1237852,00.html

bbc news 24 contact form http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/ne...100/3959111.stm

or this one http://news.bbc.co.uk/newswatch/ukfs/hi/ne...600/4032695.stm

fuzion

Edited December 4, 2006 by fuzion

[Paul]

We have the same battle in France against the media and their "mini-tornades" :blush:

--> http://forums.infoclimat.fr/index.php?show...=17148&st=0

Lol, nice to know it's not just our media that's a bit stupid when it comes to this then!!

[sconetone]

Anybody listening to 'TalkSport' at the moment

The two presenters are having a discussion - with the 'main' one insisting that Tornado's and Hurricanes are the same thing and neither exist in Britain. He also totally poo-poohing the idea that GB has highest amount of tornadoes psm

Does my head in - cause the vast majority of the great british public lap all this rubbish up and take it as gospel :unsure:

Edited December 8, 2006 by sconetone

[VillagePlank]

A tornado is a tornado is a tornado.

If you want to use an adjective to describe a tornado's strength then use the scale already in place. If you say it was 1 out of a possible 10, say, people will understand easily that 1 is the smallest possible scenario that this event can conduct. But it doesn't detract from the danger a tornado is to human life. Which it is.

[PersianPaladin]

Lol. Who voted 'yes'?

[crimsone]

at the moment, 7 people too many! <_<

[geri2k]

From what I seen yesterday, NO!