The growing number of weather spotters has improved warnings issued for severe weather and awareness efforts have improved their effectiveness. Meteorologist Ray Miller says tornadoes in recent years that hit heavily populated areas could have led to 100s or 1,000s of additional fatalities if they would have occurred 20 years ago. He attributes that to individuals taking warnings more seriously. Another factor is more tornado warnings are being prompted by what weather spotters are seeing, rather than what’s being seen on radar, meaning warnings are issued earlier, giving people more time to react.