Ah, Opey, you beat me to it. I just got a copy of the same email. I can't tell, and I guess only time will tell, what's behind this advanced warning: 1. Technology is improved enough so the weather service can tell it's going to be bad farther in advance than before; 2. Institutions all over are *that* freaked out about liability; 3. It really IS going to be that bad. I suppose it's a bit of each, and we won't know the proportion until the weather happens. It's just that I've been personally phobic about storms since 1976 (when I was 10), so I keep a close eye on weather coverage - and never have I seen an advance response like this.