It’s official, today is the first day of Meteorological Spring, and you know what that means; we start thinking about spring storms and the risk of severe weather. There are some important things to address before the storms start firing up. What is the difference between a watch and a warning? What are the different ways to receive these warnings? What do you need to do to stay safe? We will find out in this week’s Meteo Monday.
Watch VS Warning
The two main types of watches issued during severe weather season are severe thunderstorm and tornado watches. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issues these watches. A watch is issued when conditions are ripe for severe storm development. If the conditions in place suggest the primary storm mode will be tornadic storms, the SPC will opt for a tornado watch instead of a severe thunderstorm watch.
A watch means that dangerous storms are expected to happen within a particular area; though one thing to note, it doesn’t mean everyone inside the watch box will get a bad storm. When a watch is issued, you can go on about your daily routine; but, you should pay closer attention to the weather that is going on, and you should be prepared to seek shelter if the watch is upgraded to a warning.
A warning is issued when severe weather is occurring or imminent. Warnings are issued by local National Weather Services (NWS) offices. Per the NWS, a severe thunderstorm warning will be issued if the storm is capable of producing at least one of the following criteria: “winds of at least 58 mph (50 knots or ~93 km/h), and/or hail at least 1″ in diameter.” Just because a storm is producing a lot of lightning doesn’t automatically make it a severe storm. A warning will not be issued unless one of the above criteria is being indicated by radar.
It is also possible to have a severe thunderstorm warning without having any lightning or thunder. If a line of showers reaches the above criteria, a severe thunderstorm warning will be issued. This happens fairly frequently across the Mid-Atlantic, in the early spring and late fall, when you get a low-topped squall line that forms along a cold front. These often produce damaging winds over 70 mph but usually produce little to no thunder and lightning.
Another thing to note is that in some cases if there is broad, weak rotation in a storm, a “tornado possible tag” is added to the warning. If a severe thunderstorm is showing signs of strong rotation, a tornado warning will be issued. Severe thunderstorm warning criteria do not need to be met for this. As long as the storm is showing signs of strong rotation on the radar, a tornado warning will be issued.
How to Receive Warnings
When it comes to receiving severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, it is recommended that you have more than one way to obtain the warnings. If the cell phone towers go out, you might not be able to receive alerts that way, or perhaps the tornado sirens in town aren’t working. So you shouldn’t be relying on one method.
Arguably the best way to receive warnings is from the NOAA Weather Radio. You can pick up a weather radio for as low as $20 from your local Walmart, or you can choose from several different models online. This has been a tried and tested method since the late 1970s. The loud sounds that these emit before reading you the warning are loud enough to wake you if there is a nighttime severe weather warning.
Smartphones are another great way to receive warnings. All modern phones are equipped to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). The WEA will sound for tornado warnings, snow squall warnings, and hurricane warnings. If a tornado warning is issued for the area you are in; it will ping the cell phone tower you’re connected to and then transmit to your phone. You shouldn’t rely just on the WEA on your phone; you should have another app on your phone to receive other warnings for flooding, severe thunderstorms, or even winter weather. We recommend the FEMA app, which will send any type of weather alert to your phone. You can download the FEMA app here for iPhone or here for Android. The FEMA app also lets you monitor several locations, so you can keep tabs on alerts that may come across for family members on the other side of the country! You can also download an app from your favorite local news station and use that as a way to receive push notifications for severe alerts.
When you think of a tornado warning, you might instantly think of tornado sirens. These are a staple in the tornado-prone communities of the United States. These, however, are the least reliable method of receiving a warning. Tornado sirens can often go out during severe weather due to power outages and lightning strikes. Their sound can also be obscured by the sound of pounding rain/hail and even the roar of a tornado itself. A tornado siren is NOT meant to be heard inside, so if you rely on this as your primary indicator to seek cover, you should really consider one of the options we have mentioned above. Tornado sirens are intended to warn people outside, such as people at a baseball park. One thing to keep in mind is that the NWS has no control over these sirens. They are controlled by the county or city emergency management agency (EMA). Each location may have different criteria on when to sound the sirens.
Severe Weather Safety
Now that we know the differences between a watch and a warning and how to receive the alert, what do you need to do when one is issued? The first thing to do is stay calm.
Secondly, go to your shelter. The best place to be is underground, in a basement, or a storm cellar, if you are at home. But where should you go if you don’t have an underground shelter? Go to the lowest part of the house, and get into an interior closet or bathroom, preferably one without windows. Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible. Newer homes that are being built in tornado-prone areas have above-ground tornado shelters. These are being used for bedroom closets, pantries, and even bathrooms and are designed to withstand violent tornadoes and offer protection even if the rest of the house is blown away. Regardless of the location in the house, you’re sheltering, you should make sure to have the following to keep you safe:
- Sturdy shoes or boots
- Blankets or pillows to cover yourself with
- A helmet to protect your head
- A radio or cell phone to get the latest warning updates
- An air horn. If you are trapped, you can use this to help the rescuers locate you
LIVES SAVED by a tornado shelter from the violent tornado that tore through Moss, MS. Family of 4 hunkered down in concrete saferoom. @Tornado_Safe https://t.co/CMTZEtZrXw
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) April 13, 2020
But, what if you live in a mobile or manufactured home? According to the NWS, mobile homes offer no safe shelter in severe thunderstorms or tornadoes, and following the above protocols for a house is meaningless. They recommend evacuating the home and going to a more substantial shelter, which could be a neighbor’s house, a grocery store, or even a community storm shelter. They also recommend people in mobile homes executing their safety plans when a tornado watch is issued and not waiting for it to be upgraded to a warning.
The above tips are great, but what happens if you’re not at home? Perhaps you are at work, at the store, or at a restaurant? Thankfully most places have severe weather protocols in place. These protocols are very similar to sheltering in a house. Getting in the basement is preferable, but if the location doesn’t have one, put as many walls between you and the outside as possible. Many of these businesses have signs to show patrons where the tornado shelters are.
Finally, what should you do if you are driving down the highway when your WEA starts going off? If you’re able to, take the next exit and take cover in the closest business you can find. If you do not have time to get to the next exit, the NWS recommends that you leave your car and take cover in a ditch or culvert as a last resort. Park your vehicle on the opposite of the road (so it doesn’t get blown onto you). Lie as flat to the ground as you can. You will be exposed to flying debris, rain, and hail, so if you have anything in your car, such as a pillow or a backpack that you can use to protect your head, use it. You should never take shelter under a highway overpass and should be avoided at all costs. These act as wind tunnels and funnel the wind and debris through them.
With severe weather season upon us, it is crucial to have a severe weather plan in place and know what to do before the storm strikes. If you don’t have a plan, make one now, and encourage your friends and family to have a plan as well.
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