Lightning Alert & Lightning Watch

Frequently Asked Questions for AWN+

Q: What is the difference between a Lightning Alert and a Lightning Watch?

A: A Lightning Alert is meant for action right now — it tells you lightning has been detected close enough that you should take shelter immediately. A Lightning Watch is meant to give you advance notice. It monitors for lightning activity within a distance that you define, so you have time to prepare before conditions become dangerous.

Q: How do I find and change my Lightning Watch settings?

1. From the device tile, use the breadcrumb to navigate to the device's detail page, then open and configure the Lightning Watch settings.
2. Go to Alerts → Team Alerts, and add Lightning Watch to the correct alert set.
3. Confirm the correct people/groups are assigned to that alert set.
4. Go to the device's dashboard and click "Start Monitoring."

Q: Who can start monitoring for a team?

A: The station owner controls the Start Monitoring button for AWN+ Teams. The station owner can also grant team members access through the 3-level weather safety permissions, allowing trusted members to help manage monitoring.

Q: What does “monitoring” actually do?

A: Once monitoring is turned on, the system watches for qualifying weather activity. If a monitoring event occurs, you receive a notice. If conditions escalate into an alert event, that notice is designed to prompt immediate action, such as moving to shelter.

Q: Does one activity equal one monitoring period?

A: Yes. A single activity — for example, a soccer game — is covered by one monitoring period for its duration.

Q: What happens if a Watch is still active when a shelter event ends?

A: If a Watch times out while a shelter event is still in progress, the Watch timer does not reset. Instead, it moves into overtime and will not expire until an all-clear is issued.

Q: What notifications will my team receive?

A: Team members are notified at each key step:

•       When a Lightning Watch is enabled, all team members are notified.

•       When the Watch ends, team members are notified again.

•       When a monitoring event occurs, the team receives a notification.

•       When an alert event occurs, a notification is sent.

•       When an alert event ends, a notification is sent.

Q: What is the Small Tile view used for?

A: The Small Tile shows the minimal amount of information needed for a smaller, lower-stakes event, such as a practice. It's designed to help you quickly judge expected downtime for that event rather than provide full monitoring detail.

Lightning Watch distance is a setting you define yourself, so it helps to know how several established safety organizations approach lightning distance thresholds. The table below summarizes commonly referenced guidelines.

These guidelines are widely used reference points, not a substitute for your organization's own safety policy. Choose a Lightning Watch distance that fits your activity, location, and risk tolerance.