The sound follows the format of United States weather service alerts, read in a synthetic Microsoft style voice instead of a real broadcaster. Clips like this spread on soundboards as a reusable fake alert, because the tornado and flash flood wording sounds official even out of context. It is often paired with other classic computer era sounds such as the Windows XP Error for nostalgic tech humour. Its popularity comes from instant recognition, creators can set up an emergency scene in seconds without recording their own warning announcement.