Storm hazards in tree work: what the weather services and regulators say
A table of how six national weather services word their warnings for wind, thunderstorms and snow or ice, with a page for each hazard that reports what the services, OSHA, Scottish Forestry and the SafeWork NSW code say about trees and outdoor work.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the named codes, regulators and makers say. It is not training and does not teach the work. This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It adds the weather services' own words to the work guides already on the site. All pages were read on October 9, 2026. The courses that teach tree work are in the guides on chainsaw tickets and certifications by country. Storm cleanup hazards and scam warnings are in the guide on storm work, and what each work code says about stopping in weather is in climbing in wind, rain, cold and lightning, so neither is repeated here.
Credit. Wording from the SafeWork NSW Tree works code of practice is adapted under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence, with sentences shortened and reworded. The weather services, OSHA and Scottish Forestry are described in our own words with links.
How each weather service words its warnings
| Service | Scheme and figures |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Meteorology | Severe thunderstorm warnings. Severe thunderstorm gusts of 90 km/h; no lightning warning. |
| Environment Canada | Impact guides, three levels. No wind, snow or ice figures. |
| Met Eireann | Yellow, orange and red. Wind speeds and gusts; snow depths. |
| Met Office | Yellow, amber, red. Impact matrix changed in October 2026. |
| MetService | Watches, orange and red warnings. Thunderstorm gusts of 110 km/h. |
| National Weather Service | Safety pages by hazard. Sustained 40 to 50 mph: isolated damage. |
What the services say about their own scale
The Met Office weather warnings guide says yellow warnings cover a range of situations, some with moderate impacts and a high likelihood and others with more significant impacts that are less certain, that amber means an increased likelihood of impacts that could disrupt plans, and that red means dangerous weather is expected. Met Eireann's weather warnings explanation calls its figures strong guidelines and says impacts vary with place, the weather before, ground state and season. MetService's page on severe weather warnings and watches says most of its warnings are orange and that red is reserved for the most extreme events.
The three hazards
Each page below reports one hazard from the weather services and from the work sources that mention it. Wind covers speeds and the tree wording of the services. Lightning covers shelter guidance and how each service treats lightning in warnings. Ice and snow covers the OSHA logging rule on snow and ice on trees and the services' wording on freezing rain and snow.
Storm hazards, one page per hazard
Sources
- Bureau of Meteorology, Severe thunderstorms: your questions answered, December 10, 2018, read October 9, 2026
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, weather impact guides, February 20, 2026, read October 9, 2026
- Met Eireann, weather warnings explanation, read October 9, 2026
- Met Office, weather warnings guide, read October 9, 2026
- MetService, about severe weather warnings and watches, read October 9, 2026
- National Weather Service, wind safety, read October 9, 2026
- SafeWork NSW, Tree works code of practice, March 2026 (CC BY 4.0), read October 9, 2026