No PDS text in tornado watches via API

[JJKraw]

Given that Particularly Dangerous Situation Tornado Watches have been issued today, I'm not finding that text in the watches via the alerts endpoints in the API. For example, here is watch 29 text from the API:

https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.f8ba5f781e0fc11aff39eb81a383f2366818ef69.001.1

---

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 29 IN
EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN ALABAMA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 23 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL ALABAMA

AUTAUGA BIBB BLOUNT
CHILTON COOSA DALLAS
JEFFERSON PERRY SHELBY
ST. CLAIR TALLADEGA WALKER

IN EAST CENTRAL ALABAMA

CLAY

IN NORTHWEST ALABAMA

MARION WINSTON

IN WEST CENTRAL ALABAMA

FAYETTE GREENE HALE
LAMAR MARENGO PICKENS
SUMTER TUSCALOOSA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ALABASTER, ALICEVILLE, ASHLAND,
BIRMINGHAM, BRENT, CARROLLTON, CENTREVILLE, CLANTON, COLUMBIANA,
DEMOPOLIS, EUTAW, FAYETTE, GREENSBORO, HALEYVILLE, HAMILTON,
HOOVER, JASPER, LINDEN, LINEVILLE, LIVINGSTON, MARION, MOODY,
MOUNDVILLE, ONEONTA, PELHAM, PELL CITY, PRATTVILLE, ROCKFORD,
SELMA, SULLIGENT, SYLACAUGA, TALLADEGA, TUSCALOOSA, UNIONTOWN,
VERNON, AND YORK.

---

The text directly from the SPC site is more detailed and does contain the phrasing.

https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/watch/ww0029.html

---

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 29
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
1135 AM CDT Wed Mar 17 2021

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

• Tornado Watch for portions of
  Western and central Alabama
  Central to eastern Mississippi

• Effective this Wednesday morning and evening from 1135 AM until
  700 PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

• Primary threats include...
  Numerous tornadoes expected with a few intense tornadoes likely
  Scattered damaging winds and isolated significant gusts to 80
  mph likely
  Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3
  inches in diameter likely

SUMMARY...Numerous discrete supercells are expected to develop this
afternoon capable of producing strong to intense tornadoes.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 80 statute miles
east and west of a line from 70 miles northwest of Gadsden AL to 35
miles southeast of Pine Belt MS. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU9).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 26...WW 27...WW 28...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 3 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 70 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 500. Mean
storm motion vector 24030.

...Grams

---

It would seem that containing the PDS phrase in the alerts from the API should be something that is desired. Is there something in the transfer of information from the SPC to CAP alerts (I notice alerts.weather.gov doesn't have the PDS phrase either) that prevents this?

Hope this all makes sense. Thanks.

[StephenClouse]

Our group doesn't build the CAP, we receive it from upstream. This is something we'll have to pass along to those folks.

At a glance it looks like they build the CAP from the WOU (watch outline) and not the SEL (the actual watch product). Which makes sense, because only the WOU contains the metadata for which counties are in the watch.

[JJKraw]

Thank you. So if I understand correctly, you'll pass the info along. Let me know if I should contact anyone else.

I assume the NWS really wants the PDS info to be there in the end products.

Thanks again!

[StephenClouse]

Right, API simply syndicates the CAP feed as distributed by NCO IDP. We do not modify the data (other than serializing it to JSON). So any change would need to come from there.

We work pretty closely with that team so I'll see what they think.

[scadergit]

In general, any improvements to NWS products or services outside of the performance of the software can be directed to your local weather office. They take requests seriously, and have established protocols for raising them.