Not only is the week of March 15-19 Flood Safety Awareness Week, it is also Pennsylvania's Severe Weather Awareness Week.
With spring's imminent arrival, thunderstorms will be creeping up on us within the next month. Thunderstorms can also be classified as severe weather. Here are some facts and tips to get you though spring's severe thunderstorms:
What is a severe thunderstorm?
A severe thunderstorm is any thunderstorm that produces wind gusts of 58 miles an hour or higher, and/or hail one inch in diameter or larger. Those hailstones are about the size of a quarter. Severe thunderstorms are often accompanied by torrential downpours and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning. They occasionally produce tornadoes with little or no advance warning. The very strong winds in severe thunderstorms can produce damage that people mistake for tornado damage. Almost
400 separate damage events due to severe thunderstorms were reported in Pennsylvania during 2009 alone.
What is a severe thunderstorm watch?
A severe thunderstorm watch means severe thunderstorms are possible in and close to the watch area. The watch is issued to alert you to the possibility that thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail may develop. A watch does not mean severe weather is occurring. The national weather service will issue a severe thunderstorm watch for many counties and for several hours at a time.
What you should do when a severe thunderstorm watch is issued?
go about your normal activities, but watch the sky around you for developing storms. periodically check NOAA weather radio or other media outlets for updates and possible warnings. Know which county you live in and which ones border your community. Plan how to get to a safe place quickly if a warning is issued for your area or if severe weather is observed.
What is a severe thunderstorm warning?
A severe thunderstorm warning means a severe thunderstorm is going to move through your county soon, so you need to take quick action to protect your life and property. Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued by the National Weather Service
when meteorologist detect a severe thunderstorm using doppler weather radar or when a severe thunderstorm has been reported by skywarn weather spotters.
What you should do when a severe thunderstorm warning is issued?
If you are outdoors:
Get inside your home, a strong building or in your car. Boaters should head to shore immediately.
When indoors:
Go to an interior room on the lowest level. Stay away from windows and doors. Do not use electrical appliances. Also avoid using the telephone as lightning can harm you through telephone lines.
If you are driving:
Safely pull over to the side of the road until the storm passes. Heavy rain with any thunderstorm can flood roads quickly, so never try to drive through an area where water covers the road, even if you think it is shallow. This water may sweep your vehicle away.
Information taken from NOAA's National Weather Service
