Throughout history, many lives have been lost at the hands of severe weather. Meteorologists (气象学家) and scientists alike are always investigating new ways to increase the warning time for storms, with the hope of reducing the ______ of lives. In the past few decades, local weather radar advancements have been made, which allow for better accuracy in ______ the paths of storms.

Meteorologists and scientists have been able to successfully track severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes by using an advanced tracking system called NEXRAD (Next-Generation Radar). NEXRAD is a tracking network ______ 158 Doppler weather radars. And during a storm this high-resolution computerized ______ takes readings on the amount of precipitation (降水) in the air, the movements in the clouds, and the wind speeds.

These ______ are bounced back to a local weather computer, and a colorful image appears on the screen, giving meteorologists a clear picture of what kind of weather is on the horizon. This final image is what you see when the meteorologist breaks in with severe weather reports and warnings. ______, on your television screen you will see a computer animated image of the approaching storm.

If the storm is severe enough, then the National Weather Service (NWS) will ______ severe weather reports of severe thunderstorm warnings for your area. ______, the storm captured on the radar will have produced strong readable winds, detectable lightning, and some hail (冰雹). Paying attention to the weather map is ______ when severe weather is around.

On the television screen you will see several colors on the precipitation map, ______ from blue (the lightest) to black (the heaviest). If the colors for your ______ area are yellow, take caution. If the colors range between orange and red, take cover immediately, as damaging winds and dangerous lightning have been reported.

When local weather radar in Atlanta, Georgia reported high winds, ______ wind patterns and large hail earlier this year, the National Weather Service issued a tornado ______. Meteorologists in the area used the collected data to predict what path the storm would take, ______ which areas needed to be warned.

Thanks to this technology, most residents received the severe weather reports early enough to seek ______ before the storm hit. Paying attention to your local weather source during severe weather plays a vital role in your safety.