March 16, 20224 yr I was on a webinar with the National Weather Service-Louisville office for training. Here is some information from it. Watches are issued by both the Storm Prediction Center and the local NWS office. A warning is issued by the local office. They also discussed that the upcoming severe weather season looks to be above normal. Key Definitions: Watch: Conditions are favorable for severe weather to occur. Watches are issued for several hours and for a large area. Warning: Severe weather is occurring or imminent. Warnings are typically issued for 30-45 minutes, and only for a particular storm or line of storms. Warnings are issued when severe weather has been reported or when radar indicates severe potential within minutes. Tornado: A violently rotating column of air, in contact with the ground and the base of a thunderstorm. Not all tornadoes look like a funnel and not all funnels are tornadoes. ROTATION is the key. Severe Thunderstorm: a storm that produces winds of 58 mph and/or hail 1” or greater in diameter (quarter size). Flash Flood: rapidly rising water—sometimes well away from creeks and streams—that occurs from runoff of very heavy rains. Lightning: a discharge of static electricity—up to 100 million volts with a single bolt! Lightning can occur within a cloud, cloud-to-cloud, or cloud-to-ground. TORNADO Most tornado injuries are caused by flying and falling debris. To avoid injury, protect yourself (especially your head and neck) by following these guidelines: Abandon mobile homes and automobiles for sturdy shelter (do this before the storm is upon you!) If caught outside, seek shelter in a culvert, ditch, or depression to protect yourself from flying debris. DO NOT seek shelter under a bridge Put as many walls and floors between you and the tornado as possible get into an interior room on the lowest floor smaller rooms are better, as the walls are more likely to remain intact, and the size of the ceiling limits the size of debris that can fall onto you stay away from windows/glass Crouch down on the floor or get into a tub, covering yourself with pillows, cushions, or blankets Wear a bicycle or motorcycle helmet if available FLASH FLOODING NEVER drive into a flooded roadway. Moving water can easily wash your vehicle away If you are near a river, creek, or low-lying area and flood waters approach your location, climb to higher ground immediately! LIGHTNING / SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS Go inside a sturdy building at the first sight of lightning or sound of thunder. Stay in shelter until 30 minutes after the last thunder. Stay away from windows and doors. Avoid all conductors of electricity, including water, metal objects, and anything plugged into an outlet or phone line. In a vehicle, keep arms inside and away from metal trim. If you want to help the NWS by reporting the weather in your area download MPING from Apple or Google Play store. Bluegrasspreps Twitter page (@bgpweather1) is now registered as a weather spotter page.
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