Weather Awareness

 

Lightning

• Summer is the peak season for lightning strikes.

• On average, about 67 people are killed each year in the United States due to lightning strikes. About 300 people are injured per year due to lightning in the U.S.

• Many people are struck yet survive, but they can suffer from many disabilites.

• The rubber soles of your shoes do not protect you from lightning strikes.

• Safe places to be during lightning are places that are enclosed with a roof, wall, and floor. Picnic shelters and dugouts are not safe.

• When indoors, avoid using a corded telephone, taking a shower or using anything that is connected to the outside.

• Soft-topped convertibles are not safe, you should be in a hard-topped vehicle during lightning. *Do not operate HAM radios during lightning as it could strike the antenna and cause serious injury.

• If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning. Use the 30/30 rule, count up after you see the strike until you hear the thunder, if its below 30 seconds you are in danger.

Flooding

• Do not attempt to cross water covered roadways in your vehicle, the depth of the water may be too great to allow your car to pass safely. The road can also be washed away by the flood waters.

• Be especially careful at night, when its more difficult to recognize the dangers of flood waters.

• In hilly terrain, flash floods can hit with little or no warning. Distant rain may be channeled into gullies turning a quiet stream into rampaging torrent in minutes.

• There are two kinds of flooding - Flash Flooding, and general flooding of mainly rivers.

• Flash Flooding is usually a result of torrential rains from an intense storm, while Flooding is caused by water draining into rivers, that overflow their banks.

• The National Weather Service will issue a Flash Flood Watch if flash flood conditions are possible in a particular area. A Flash Flood Warning will be issued if flash flooding is imminent or occurring.

• Flooding kills 135 people in an average year in the United States. A majority of these deaths occur in automobiles.

Tornadoes

• Tornadoes cause an average of about 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries in the United States each year.

• In Alabama the peak season for tornadoes is March, April, and May. There is a secondary peak in November as well.

• In an average year, 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States.

• A Tornado Watch means that conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes, but the threat is not imminent. A Tornado WARNING means that a tornado has been indicated by storm spotters or Doppler Radar. Take cover immediately if your area is under a Tornado Warning.

• Get out of Mobile homes when tornadoes threaten, tornadoes can destroy mobile homes.

• Get in the lowest level of a sturdy building and cover your head with your hands to protect yourself from flying debris.

• Do not attempt to outrun a tornado in your car, they can suddenly change direction, putting you in danger.

• If no shelter is available lie down flat in a ditch, do not take cover under an overpass.

• The largest known tornado outbreak was on April 3-4, 1974. 148 tornadoes touched down in 11 states. The tornadoes killed 315 people and injured more than 5,300 and causing more than $600 million in damage. An F5 Tornado moved through Alabama through the cities of Guin and Tanner. Guin was particularly hard it.

Winter Storms

• Winter storms can bring heavy snow, freezing rain, sleet, and extreme cold.

• Winter storms do not occur that often in the Southeast but can occur.

• One of the most memorable winter storms includes the Superstorm of March 1993 which brought over a foot of snow to much of North and Central Alabama. Temperatures also dipped close to 0°F. Another memorable event was the New Years' snowstorm of 1963. Huntsville received 17 inches of snowfall.

• Freezing rain is particularly dangerous because it can form black ice on roadways and cause traffic accidents. Be especially cautious when freezing rain is expected.

• Although rare in Alabama, the temperature can drop into the single digits and even below zero. Use common sense during these situations. Wrap pipes so that they do not bust. Provide outdoor pets a warm place. Do not start your car in a closed garage, to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.