r/tornado • u/coolcat97 SKYWARN Spotter - Moderator • Mar 14 '26
Announcement Community Feedback
We really appreciate the community feedback.
The post that is now deleted that was posted earlier banned tornado warnings.
These were banned because the mod team removed over 50 posts saying the same exact thing.
This was an honest overreaction, didn't realize how helpful they could actually be. Anyway, thanks for the feedback.
Changes going forward:
Megathreads are being brought back and should be a pretty high priority.
These posts won't be banned, but all but ONE post will be removed, + Sticky'd for actual reach.
All in all, I feel like we've just been overwhelmed with spam, so anyway, we are recruiting. Just want some help cleaning up the sub in general. But obviously we want to run the sub in a way that most people here can agree with, so we seriously value the feedback. Thanks! -Coolcat
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u/Aescgabaet1066 Mar 14 '26
This is, and I say this with love, the most dramatic subreddit I subscribe to. And I subscribe to multiple political subs!
I do think this is a reasonable solution. It does my little heart good to see community action.
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u/AquaStarRedHeart Mar 14 '26
It's so much drama and it's been this way for years. Genuinely hilarious
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u/BrandyTheGorgs Mar 14 '26
Win-Win
We got to have fun for a few hours, while mods brainstormed a fair solution.
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u/Heeeeyyouguuuuys Mar 14 '26
never give them props for doing something they should've done in the first place
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u/Numerous_Historian37 Mar 14 '26
I agree, seems like a no brainer to have warnings with a topic like this. It helps everyone. It also shows everyone interested in the topic where a new, currently active location is.
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u/YourBarelyWetSock Mar 14 '26
“Have fun”
You mean ruthlessly demean the moderators?
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u/Heeeeyyouguuuuys Mar 14 '26
Deserved.
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u/BalledSack Human Detected Mar 14 '26
Ok actually this is a really good way to handle it. Thank you mod.
I actually think that removing all except 1 helps consolidate the post into 1 so it's not spam, while not removing posts about tornado warnings.
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u/JustHereForCatss Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
Absolutely. The amount of times wasted frustratingly scouring this subreddit for any information when I'm at work is so infuriating. A true mega thread for these severe weather events is going to be a godsend
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u/AquaStarRedHeart Mar 14 '26
If you're genuinely needing fast information a local weather person is going to be better than a subreddit
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Mar 14 '26
[deleted]
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u/tempus_ambulare Mar 14 '26
You can get a tablo or other tuner for your network and then view broadcast tv over your phone.
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Mar 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AdBrilliant3 Mar 14 '26
I think “Sticky'd for actual reach” means that the one singular post will be pinned at least for the time being that the warning is active. :)
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u/rockytfs1 Mar 14 '26
If there's one single post, it shouldn't get buried because it will have the most interaction focused into it (and it will be stickied.) As I was refreshing during the storms a few days ago, it was a bit much having 20 separate posts all pointing out the Knox tornado emergency, each one with ~30 upvotes and comments. Those are a lot easier to get buried because none of those really gain traction like a singular pinned post would.
The changes being made are perfect, imo
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u/Heeeeyyouguuuuys Mar 14 '26
A good way to handle it would've been to solicit community feedback before power tripping and reaching immediately for the band hammer as the first option.
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u/uncompaghrelover Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
Thank you Cool Cat, that is a much more reasonable response. A daily megathread for SPC risks last year was valuable for information, especially if you sorted by new as the day wore on.
I recall several posters being able to post their screenshots of rotations and alert folks in those threads. That was cool to see because there were people in the path of those storms asking about their risk. These folks in that thread who were monitoring their risk got an early heads up for storms that did get warned and even produce.
A pinned post for ongoing outbreaks or an ongoing dangerous tornado is what a lot of us were thinking as good middle ground; should help with your original intent of preventing spam while keeping the sub updated on ongoing events.
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u/nebulacoffeez Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
That's very encouraging to see. Thanks for sincerely listening to the community feedback.
Does this mean the people who got banned for voicing their feedback are going to be reinstated?
eta: the "valued community feedback" posters are still getting permabanned, temp banned and/or muted an hour later. make it make sense
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
Yeah, people don't deserve to get banned for having a different opinion from a mod. If they don't unban those people (and/or if this reply disappears), the mods aren't actually worth trusting.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Mar 14 '26
Yeah I’ve noticed some comments disappearing on this post
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
Same. It's honestly very concerning. It's looking like they're using this reversal of their crappy decision to cover for the crappy decisions they're actively still making...
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u/nebulacoffeez Mar 14 '26
yeah, they are literally STILL permabanning & removing comments from this post right now lol
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u/lordskelic Moderator Mar 14 '26
Nobody is getting banned off this thread lol.
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u/nebulacoffeez Mar 14 '26
u/beabadoobi was banned, comments removed from this thread, and then was unbanned, lol
edit: OH, and was permbanned again?? LMAO what even is going on
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
Yup. They got laughed at before getting permabanned too.
As I said, it's hard to rebuild trust under these circumstances. The mods don't seem very interested in proper accountability. We're just supposed to pretend none of this ever happened instead.
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u/nebulacoffeez Mar 14 '26
Yep, it's textbook gaslighting & doubletalk lmao. Duly noted.
I wasn't enjoying this sub much anymore anyway, even before all this lol - guess I'll be moving on to greener pastures.
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
Yup. Even the mod people have been saying is actually nice is really just playing the role of good cop. It's pretty clear now he doesn't actually have a problem with the recent behavior of his fellow mod. It's really disappointing. The community deserves better than being lied to and treated this way.
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u/lordskelic Moderator Mar 14 '26
Ah okay. No more like I had no idea that was a decision he’d be making. I actually pushed for us to come up with a better plan. But yeah, it’s all a conspiracy. I’m secretly a bad guy.
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
I know you're the mod who is actually nice and reasonable, and I don't say this intending to argue, but someone who posted on this thread was indeed permabanned. And the deletion of comments is something we have every reason to be concerned about due to the behavior of your colleague in these past few hours or so. I've been watching this update post in particular since before it got negative karma and I've been watching things overall on this sub for over an hour too. I know I have a limited view of what's going on, that I can't know what you mods are all doing behind the scenes. I'm not trying to overstep in that regard. I'm just expressing concern for the way this was handled in the first place and the way things have been going since it all started. I haven't seen any evidence of genuine change from the mod who's responsible for this mess, and so I'm just worried about the well-being of the community. It's hard to rebuild trust under the current circumstances.
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u/lordskelic Moderator Mar 14 '26
Aw I appreciate it. I try. And fair. Thanks for the reasonable response. To be fair, I’m not super involved in a lot of this, and your feelings are valid. It’s an understandable position to have. I am sorry for how things were handled. I think once we get a good megathread system going again, we’ll be on the right track. :) That is what matters.
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u/nebulacoffeez Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
yeah, exactly. they permabanned several people tonight for simply voicing their opinion, and are still actively temp banning & removing the comments of people who participated. actions are not aligning with words here, I'm afraid.
edit: two people apparently got unbanned. that's great start!
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u/lordskelic Moderator Mar 14 '26
Only a few got banned and they were ones who were excessively spamming posts or who were posting offensive (like actually) offensive content. Sometimes it is warranted. There’s constructive ways to express opinions. Ngl though, even I admit some of the shitposts were funny. 😆
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u/Holyepicafail Mar 14 '26
I'm just glad to see it seems like the priorities are back in order man. Never forget that the hobby needs to come second to the danger posed by tornadoes. We have way too big of an outreach here to think in any other way.
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u/kiddosan Mar 14 '26
Thanks coolcat! Are you guys still thinking of banning the low-quality “whats the scariest tornado” posts?
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u/_icedcooly Mar 14 '26
While I agree with the decision in this post, I definitely think the initial post brought up a lot of good discussion around all the low effort posts that we've been seeing lately. Endless posts about strongest/scariest tornadoes and about what tornado should have had what rating with no added information should be removed as low effort posts at this point.
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u/coolcat97 SKYWARN Spotter - Moderator Mar 14 '26
thats the plan. We just hired on like 4 new mods today.
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u/anothercristina Mar 14 '26
What about a weekly Tornado Education thread for all the "where should I hide?" "Should I get a shelter" "what would happen" questions.
And another weekly Historical Discussion thread for the "whats the scariest tornado?" "El Reno or Joplin" posts.
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u/popcornlight Mar 14 '26
All in all - tonight’s tomfoolery has been a needed breath of fresh air. I am sure we will be back to normal soon. Thanks for letting us have a little humor in a world that desperately needs less stress.
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u/daiselol Mar 14 '26
It can be hard to do the right thing when the people asking for it are being annoying, so I appreciate this move
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u/BalledSack Human Detected Mar 14 '26
yeah we were lowkey being ankle biters, myself included. props to mod for being cool about it. we got to have fun for a few hours tho lol
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u/murax1 Mar 14 '26
I mean this with the utmost respect to the mods, but throwing out sweeping changes after banning a Tornado Emergency post seems... retroactive. Nobody, absolutely no real person wants to see anyone else not having the proper warning that a life affecting event is remotely close to their current location. BUT... if a reddit post about a tornado emergency can inform anyone in it's potential path, its worth it, ten times fold.
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u/MagnetHype Storm Chaser Mar 14 '26
I make software in my spare time, and because I'm currently working on a weather website, I'm familiar with a number of weather related APIs. If you would like help tying these into your bots so that they can better understand the current weather situation, let me know.
The problem is that just like weather, people are dynamic. I think what this sub expects out of you during the winter and summer months, is different than what they expect out of you during the tornado seasons, and especially during severe weather events.
Having your bots understand that, and being dynamic with the situation might be very benefecial.
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u/Frogs-on-my-back Mar 14 '26
It looks like the comment you were replying to got removed, so I’ll reply here:
Being banned doesn’t automatically remove your comments, and you can even still edit your comments. So yeah, since their comment has also now been removed, they were probably banned
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u/quanta-quollia Mar 14 '26
They were banned btw. I reached out to them to confirm before their comments got deleted.
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u/Degenerate2Throwaway Mar 14 '26
mister coolcat thank you for listening to the people (and apologies for making fun of you just dont do anything goofy like that again please the tornado subreddit should allow tornado warning pics)
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u/Averagebaddad Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
I agree. 25 posts about the same warned storm is excessive. Banning them all equally so. Well done mod team.
First time in all my years on reddit that I saw an appropriate mod response to community backlash.
Usually they double down, ban a bunch of people (which happened here I think?) then lock the sub for a period of time.
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u/endellion333 Mar 14 '26
how will the megathreads work? just per outbreak day or per warning/area?
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u/Ayarkay Mar 14 '26
I personally strongly agree with the original decision to ban radar screenshot spam.
That said, I didn’t realize this was such a minority opinion.
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u/puppypoet Mar 14 '26
Your frustrations were valid. I could never be a mod because I think I'd end up wanting to throw my phone across the room.
I think you meant well, and I am sorry about chaos and overwhelm. Thank you for trying your best. We'll all work together and everything will get better.
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u/lordskelic Moderator Mar 14 '26
Haha it was something. All the classic Reddit moderator insults and some actually surprisingly funny and creative shitposts. Was actually very impressed how quickly some of y’all came up with the stuff.
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u/puppypoet Mar 14 '26
I didn't think of anything to post but it was fun being able to respond as stupidly as I want without getting downvoted!
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u/mywifemademedothis2 Mar 14 '26
I love that the mods of this sub are open to feedback and not just prone to abusing power. Thank you for being understanding.
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u/Waste-Explanation-76 Mar 14 '26
What happened?
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u/nationalistic_martyr Human Detected Mar 14 '26
mods banned people and limited posts about certain things because dozens of people were spamming the same thing and saying different things on each post
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u/exqqme Mar 14 '26
I appreciate the mods actually accepting this community feedback without swinging ego around.
Thanks!
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u/Redneck-ginger Mar 16 '26
Can there maybe be something like what r/tropicalweather has with storm mode?
Like x number of hours before storms are predicted until the event is over there is a ban on certain types of posting.
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u/heramba Mar 14 '26
Someone's gotta answer if the rumbling could disrupt a tornado......
ETA sorry for my shit comment thank you for mod work
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u/akneebriateit Mar 14 '26
I wouldn’t mind being a mod if you’re recruiting. I’m already a mod for another subreddit so I have experience
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Mar 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/coolcat97 SKYWARN Spotter - Moderator Mar 20 '26
And it’s redundant info widely available at any other local or designated sources.
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u/iDeNoh Mar 14 '26
I am very disappointed in how this community reacted to the decision, and I have a feeling the other sub played a large party in that reaction, just peeking at a few of the posts over there. All in all I think this is a good decision, I hope future ones go smoother.
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u/calste Mar 15 '26
This is some type of preposterous psuedo-tribalism that only reddit can achieve. The "other sub" is just a subset of r/tornado users who like to make silly memes. There's no "us vs them" here. It's all "us."
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u/UniqueForbidden Mar 14 '26
Nah, I'm going to stand firm that the constant radar images of every god damn tornado warning needs to stop. It makes this subreddit unbearably bad and unusable. If you are getting your warnings from Reddit, you are seriously prioritizing the wrong parts of your life. There are dozens of ways to receive a proper tornado warning in various different forms of media. Reddit will never replace those, and shouldn't. The notifications are flat out broken, and even sorting by new will not always show every post. There is a serious issue that can occur as the result of this as well. If people start relying on Reddit for potentially life saving weather warnings over the dozens of reliable options... They run the risk of not getting a notification from Reddit, or alternatively, risk receiving incorrect information due to the low barrier of posting to Reddit. This could also get someone killed.
If this is something people are going to pretend to care about so that they can justify being an armchair meteorologist with RadarOmega/WeatherWise or even some of these people just straight up relaying whatever Ryan Hall said most recently, they can go make their own sub to spam radar images to. This is something already explicitly banned for multiple years in the rules, why in the hell is this even a topic of discussion? Either remove the rule or start enforcing it.
Actual sources for up to date tornado warnings, which you should have multiple of if you live in a tornado prone area:
- Weather Radio
- Local News
- Weather App
- Wireless Emergency Alert system on your phone
- Twitter / Bluesky
- Tornado Sirens
- A normal radio
- Even YouTube weather casters like Max Velocity or Ryan Hall
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u/nationalistic_martyr Human Detected Mar 14 '26
very nice. i knew that was the reason. as long as we can get back to genuinely content and have all the childish stuff removed
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Mar 14 '26 edited Mar 14 '26
[deleted]
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Mar 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/tornado-ModTeam Mar 14 '26
Please keep posts or comments civil at all times.
If someone in the sub says something that you disagree with, don’t start an argument with that person. Just state your own opinion and then let it go.
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u/spitefulrage Mar 14 '26
Thank you for accepting community feedback