It’s Severe Weather Season, Again

Time to Prepare and Have Those Plans Dusted Off

It's hard to be thinking about severe weather after the very cool weather many of us have been experiencing, especially where it has recently snowed. However, we are heading into another severe weather season that generally runs from late October through November. Now, this season is predominately found in the southern United States from Texas to Georgia. For this reason, National Weather Service offices in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee are conducting a severe weather awareness day on Wednesday, October 21. The purpose is to call attention to this secondary peak season in severe weather that occurs, especially since this is an El Nino year. El Nino years tend to increase the threat for severe weather in the South during the month of November. In addition, this severe weather season can actually produce just as many if not more tornadoes in the South than in the Spring. This area is known as "Dixie Alley" and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) has compiled a very large climatology on tornadoes. In this report, one of the unique items of note is the strong Fall peak in tornadoes compared to the Spring peak. This map shows map depicting the ratio of the maximum daily probability of tornadoes from October through December compared to the maximum daily probability of tornadoes from January through August. The orange and brighter colors are associated with ratios of 0.5 or more. Dark green and white are greater than 1, indicating that the Fall peak is stronger than the Spring peak over southern Mississippi (NSSL).

Another graph that helps show how significant of a severe weather season this is in the South is this one. This is a depiction of the number of tornadoes that have occurred per month in Mississippi. Note that November ranks #2 to just April!

Here are some of the recent major severe weather outbreaks that have occurred in portions of the South:

2007: Severe thunderstorms caused considerable straight-line wind damage across Northwest Alabama on October 18th. An EF-1 tornado tracked into southern Lawrence County, downing several trees in Bankhead National Forest.

2006: Tornado event (Nov 15) across southeast MS, 2 F3s - Event Summary

2004: Large tornado outbreak in MS(Nov 23/24), 21 total tornadoes, 1 fatality - Event Summary

2003: A significant line of thunderstorms plowed through the MS/AL on November 18th, resulting in significant straight-line wind damage. Damaging wind gusts can be just as destructive as tornadoes.

2002:Veterans Day Outbreak (Nov 9-11) 83 Tornadoes, 17 States, 36 Fatalities, Second Largest November Outbreak

2001:Tornado Outbreak (Nov 23/24) 8 States, 13 Fatalities. This event broke a record for the number of tornadoes that occurred during a 24-hour period in the state of Alabama.

1992: Tornado Outbreak (Nov 21-23) from Southeast Texas to the Mid- Atlantic. 94 tornadoes (6 F4) and 26 fatalities

1989: Huntsville F4 Tornado (Nov 15) winds 207-260 MPH, 21 fatalities, $250 million in damage (WAAY-31's Exclusive Coverage)

(Bama Twister)

What to do in the event of a tornado:

(This information obtained from the Storm Prediction Center)

Before the Storm

• Have a family plan in place based on the dwelling you live in
  
• Be able to get into a safe place within seconds
  
• Practice your plan at least once a year
  
• Have a meeting point to meet up at after the storm
  
• Due to fly debris being the greatest danger, store protective coverings (mattress, sleeping bags, thick blankets, etc) near your shelter space
  
• Have a NOAA Weather Radio (Better Yet Subscribe to Weather Call, which is more specific to your location and more advanced)
  

Where to Go

• House with a Basement
  
  • Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection (heavy table or work bench), or cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Know where very heavy objects rest on the floor above (pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc.) and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor and crush you.
    

    
    

• House without a Basement; A Dorm, or an Apartment
  
  • Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. A bath tub may offer a shell of partial protection. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail.
    

    
    

• Office Building, Hospital, Nursing Home or Skyscraper
  
  • Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building -- away from glass and on the lowest floor possible. Then, crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter, and if not crowded, allow you to get to a lower level quickly. Stay off the elevators; you could be trapped in them if the power is lost.
    

    
    

• Manufactured Home (Mobile Home)
  
  • Get out!
    Even if your home is tied down, you are probably safer outside, even if the only alternative is to seek shelter out in the open. Most tornadoes can destroy even tied-down mobile homes; and it is best not to play the low odds that yours will make it. If your community has a tornado shelter, go there fast. If there is a sturdy permanent building within easy running distance, seek shelter there. Otherwise, lie flat on low ground away from your home, protecting your head. If possible, use open ground away from trees and cars, which can be blown onto you.
    

    
    

• At School
  
  • Follow the drill! Go to the interior hall or room in an orderly way as you are told. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.
    

    
    

• In a Vehicle
  
  • Vehicles are extremely dangerous in a tornado. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Otherwise, park the car as quickly and safely as possible -- out of the traffic lanes. [It is safer to get the car out of mud later if necessary than to cause a crash.] Get out and seek shelter in a sturdy building. If in the open country, run to low ground away from any cars (which may roll over on you). Lie flat and face-down, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris.
    

    
    

• Shopping Mall, Large Store
  
  • Do not panic. Watch for others. Move as quickly as possible to an interior bathroom, storage room or other small enclosed area, away from windows.