Kathy of Knoxville asks: "What does a special weather statement mean?"
A special weather statement is a form of weather advisory that is issued by the National Weather Service.
Special weather statements, or significant weather advisories, are issued for storms that haven't reached that warning status. During an advisory, there's usually rain, lightning and some wind.
Through the advisory, the National Weather Service is telling you the storm is strong, but not severe.
Advisories are also issued as an intermediate step when a storm is growing and getting stronger prior to a warning. The National Weather Service decides what's an advisory and what's a warning based on certain criteria.
A significant weather advisory means there is and could be heavy rainfall, gusty winds up to 40 miles per hour, frequent lightning and small hail.
If a storm is a severe thunderstorm, there are winds of 58 miles per hour or greater, and quarter-sized hail or larger.