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Severe Weather Awareness Week Topic: Tornadoes

This topic is part of the National Weather Service's Severe Weather Awareness Week.  For more information head to their website here.


         ...TORNADOES...NATURES MOST VIOLENT STORMS...  
  
TORNADOES ARE ONE OF NATURES MOST VIOLENT WEATHER EVENTS.  A  
TORNADO IS DEFINED AS A RAPIDLY ROTATING COLUMN OF AIR WHICH IS  
ATTACHED TO A THUNDERSTORM AND IS IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND.  IN  
THE MOST EXTREME TORNADOES WIND SPEEDS MAY EXCEED 300 MILES PER  
HOUR.  
  
MOST TORNADOES IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA ARE WEAK AND SHORT LIVED.   
HOWEVER EACH YEAR ONE OR TWO...A STRONG TORNADO OCCURS IN THE AREA   
THAT CAN PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OVER A LARGER AREA. THE LAST   
STRONG TORNADO THAT TOUCHED DOWN IN SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA WAS ON MAY 3   
2011 NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF BUSH IN NORTHERN ST TAMMANY PARISH.  A   
STRONG TORNADO ALSO OCCURRED ON CHRISTMAS DAY LAST YEAR IN NEARBY   
PEARL RIVER COUNTY.      
  
IN THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES...INCLUDING THE GULF COAST STATES...   
TORNADOES CAN OFTEN OCCUR AT NIGHT.  UNFORTUNATELY NOCTURNAL   
TORNADOES HAVE A MUCH GREATER CHANCE OF CAUSING FATALITIES AND   
INJURIES AS MANY PEOPLE ARE ASLEEP AND NOT MONITORING WEATHER   
CONDITIONS OR MEDIA TO KNOW IF WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED.  NOAA   
WEATHER RADIOS CAN BE A LIFE SAVING WEATHER MONITORING DEVICE DURING   
THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.  THE WEATHER RADIO CAN BE SET IN STANDBY MODE   
OVERNIGHT AND WILL AUTOMATICALLY ALARM AND TURN-ON IF A SEVERE   
WEATHER WATCH OR WARNING IS ISSUED.   
                                     
SHOULD A TORNADO WATCH OR WARNING BE ISSUED OR IF THREATENING WEATHER  
DEVELOPS IN YOUR AREA...PLEASE FOLLOW THESE SAFETY RULES:  
  
IF A TORNADO WATCH IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA THIS MEANS CONDITIONS   
ARE FAVORABLE FOR A TORNADO TO FORM. KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WEATHER   
CONDITIONS AND HAVE A MEANS TO RECEIVE TIMELY WARNING INFORMATION.   
  
IF A TORNADO WANING IS ISSUED  
  
1. IN HOMES OR SMALL BUILDINGS GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE  
LOWEST FLOOR...AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORWAYS.  
  
2  STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS...OPENING OR CLOSING WINDOWS WILL DELAY  
YOUR  ESCAPE TO SAFETY AND WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE TO DAMAGE  
CAUSED TO YOUR HOME OR BUILDING.  
  
3. DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR...INSTEAD LEAVE YOUR  
CAR IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK SHELTER IN A WELL CONSTRUCTED BUILDING.  
  
4. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...LIE FLAT IN A NEARBY DITCH OR DEPRESSION.  
  
5. MOBILE HOMES...EVEN IF TIED DOWN...OFFER LITTLE PROTECTION FROM  
TORNADOES AND SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR WELL CONSTRUCTED  
BUILDINGS.  
  
THROUGHOUT SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...THE NATIONAL WEATHER  
SERVICE WILL ISSUE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS ON SEVERE WEATHER  
SAFETY.  
  
ON WEDNESDAY MORNING BETWEEN 900AM AND 930 AM ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER  
SERVICE WILL ISSUE A TEST TORNADO WARNING ON THE NOAA WEATHER RADIO   
SYSTEM TO ALLOW ORGANIZATIONS TO TEST THEIR SEVERE WEATHER PLANS AND   
ENSURE THEIR NOAA WEATHER RADIOS ARE WORKING PROPERLY. THE TEST   
MESSAGE WILL BE CLEARLY WORDED AS A TEST AND USE THE ROUTINE WEEKLY   
TEST MESSAGE CODE.  
  

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