DFW's Average Number Of Tornado Watches

I had a Twitter follow ask me (thanks @brian72975) how many tornado watches we average here in North Texas.  I was able to find this map from the Storm Prediction Center.  You have to look closely but it shows the average number of Tornado Watches a year for each county.  This is average is calculated from 1999-2008.  In North Texas we average about 7 to 9 Tornado Watches a year.  That increases to above 10 along the Red River into SW Oklahoma.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF TORNADO WATCHES PER COUNTY (1999-2008)

(click on it once, and then click on it again on the next page to really make it bigger)

Here is the average number of SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES we see in a year.  Again this is the 10 year average from 1999-2008.  We average about 13 to 16 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES a year here in North Texas.

AVERAGE NUMBER OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES PER COUNTY (1999-2008)

Remember a TORNADO WATCH means conditions are favorable for thundestorms that could produce a tornado.  A TORNADO WARNING means take shelter now!

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms.  A Severe Thunderstorm is defined as a storm capable of winds greater than 58 mph and/or hail 1" in diameter.  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING means a storm capable of those high winds or large hail has been detected.