Author: Brian R. Haines and Meredith Hemphill
Showers are helping flowers and trees to bud, birds are singing early morning songs and the sound of thunder is rumbling across the sky. Spring is a thing of beauty in North Carolina, but it is also the most active season for tornados and severe thunderstorms. As you are getting the garden ready for all that will begin to bloom in the next few months, also be thinking about severe weather preparedness.
The first week of March is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in North Carolina, to encourage you and your family to have a safety plan in case severe weather strikes and to practice what you will do, to have an emergency kit, and to have a way of getting weather alerts.
In case you think severe weather is not going to affect you, keep in mind that in 2023, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued 751 severe thunderstorm warnings and recorded 844 severe thunderstorms with damaging winds. This is on top of 106 flash flood warnings and 139 flood events across the state.
If that is not enough to convince you to prepare for severe weather, the NWS also delivered 51 tornado warnings in North Carolina and recorded 24 tornado touchdowns last year. Tornadoes form during severe thunderstorms when winds change direction and increase in speed. These storms can produce large hail and damaging winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. A tornado can develop rapidly with little warning. In fact, the average warning lead time for tornadoes in North Carolina in 2023 was only 6 to 11 minutes, so having a plan in place ahead of time will allow you to respond quickly.
To help you prepare, you can participate from home or work in an annual tornado drill by joining schools and government agencies across the state on Wednesday, March 6, at 9:30 a.m. If you want to join in, the NWS will broadcast test messages on weather radios and the Emergency Alert System. When they do follow their instructions and go to the lowest floor of the building you are in and find the most interior room. Know where the safe place is in your home or work to withstand severe weather.
Emergency Management officials recommend the following safety tips:
• Develop a family emergency plan so each member knows what to do, where to go and who to call during an emergency.
• If thunder roars, go indoors! Lightning is close enough to strike you.
• Know where the nearest safe room is, such as a basement or interior room away from windows.
• Know your severe weather terminology. WATCH means severe weather is possible. WARNING means severe weather is occurring; take shelter immediately.
• Assemble an emergency supply kit for use at home or in your vehicle. Make sure to include a 3-day supply of non-perishable food, bottled water and any medications you would need. Remember to plan for your pets when you make your emergency kit!
• If you are driving when a tornado hits, leave your vehicle immediately to seek shelter in a safe structure. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your vehicle, and do not stop under an overpass or bridge.
• If there is no shelter available, take cover in a low-lying, flat area.
For more information on tornadoes and overall emergency preparedness, visit www.ReadyNC.gov.
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