Summer Weather Information
Tornado Information
Tornadoes routinely wreak havoc every year - tearing through towns, ripping off roofs, smashing houses, uprooting trees, flattening whole neighborhoods - and causing injuries and even deaths. The United States has the highest occurrence of tornadoes of any nation in the world. During an average year, over 1,000 tornadoes occur across the country.
When a tornado is coming, you have only a short amount of time to make life-or-death decisions. Advance planning and quick response are the keys to surviving a tornado:
- Conduct tornado drills each tornado season.
- Designate an area in the home as a shelter and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat.
- Have disaster supplies on hand -
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries
- First aid kit and manual
- Emergency food and water
- Non-electric can opener
- Essential medicines
- Cash and credit cards
- Sturdy shoes
- Develop an emergency communication plan -
In case family members are separated from one another during a tornado (a real possibility during the day - when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together.
Tornado Watches and Warnings:
A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service when tornadoes are possible in your area. Remain alert for approaching storms. This is the time to remind family members where the safest places within your home are located, and listen to the radio or television for further developments.
A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
Learn these tornado danger signs:
- An approaching cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible.
- Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still.
- Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
To hear a recent public service announcement about being prepared for tornadoes during the Spring season, please visit: http://www.fema.gov/radio/.