Severe Weather Awareness Week Topic: Severe T'Storms

From the National Weather Service for Baton Rouge/New Orleans in Slidell, LA:

THE WEEK OF MARCH 3 THROUGH MARCH 9 HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS SEVERE   
WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN LOUISIANA. LATE WINTER AND SPRING MONTHS   
TYPICALLY BRING THE HIGHEST FREQUENCY OF SEVERE WEATHER TO GULF   
COAST REGION. SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS GOOD TIME TO REVIEW   
SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY PLANS AND ENSURE YOU HAVE A MEANS TO RECEIVE   
TIMELY WARNINGS.  
  
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND ASSOCIATED HAZARDS AND SAFETY   
INFORMATION...  
  
BY DEFINITION...A THUNDERSTORM IS CLASSIFIED AS SEVERE IF IT PRODUCES  
HAIL 1 INCH IN DIAMETER OR LARGER AND/OR WIND GUSTS 58 MPH OR  
STRONGER.  
  
DOWNWARD RUSHING CURRENTS OF AIR CALLED DOWNDRAFTS OFTEN OCCUR ALONG  
THE LEADING EDGE OF THUNDERSTORMS. VERY STRONG DOWNDRAFTS ARE OFTEN   
CALLED DOWNBURSTS. WIND GUSTS IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN REACH 60   
MPH...AND CAN SOMETIMES APPROACH 100 MPH. THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM   
WIND GUSTS CAN PRODUCE A ROARING SOUND...OFTEN MISTAKEN FOR A   
TORNADO.  THESE STRONG WIND GUSTS ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE   
THUNDERSTORMS CAN DAMAGE OR DESTROY MOBILE HOMES....DOWN TREES AND   
POWER LINES...AND DAMAGE POORLY CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS.  
  
LARGE HAIL CAN ALSO OCCUR IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HAILSTONES ARE  
PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF LUMPS OF ICE THAT FORM DURING SOME   
THUNDERSTORMS.  HAILSTONES ARE USUALLY ROUND AND RANGE FROM PEA SIZE   
TO THE SIZE OF A GRAPEFRUIT. HAIL IS MOST DEVASTATING TO CROPS BUT   
CAN ALSO CAUSE HEAVY DAMAGE TO AUTOMOBILES...ROOFS...AND AIRCRAFT.   
  
WHILE LARGE HAIL IS UNCOMMON IN SOUTH LOUISIANA OR EXTREME SOUTH   
MISSISSIPPI....IT CAN OCCASIONALLY OCCUR IN OUR REGION.   
  
ON MAY 14.. 2008  LARGE FELL IN WIDE SWATH FROM SOUTHERN POINTE   
COUPEE PARISH ACROSS BATON ROUGE INTO LIVINGSTON PARISH.   
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE OCCURRED TO HOUSE ROOFS AND AUTOMOBILES FROM   
BOTH OF THESE EVENTS.    
  
A FEW WEEKS AGO...ON THE EVENING OF FEBRUARY 24...LARGE HAIL, UP TO   
THE SIZE OF GOLF BALLS FELL ACROSS THE WEST BANK AREAS OF THE NEW   
ORLEANS AREA RESULTING IN PROPERTY DAMAGE.   
   
HAILSTONES GENERALLY FORM IN THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN THE CURRENTS OF   
RISING AIR...THE UPDRAFT...AND THE CURRENT OF AIR DESCENDING TOWARD   
THE GROUND...THE DOWNDRAFT.  LARGE HAILSTONES INDICATE STRONG   
UPDRAFTS IN STORMS.  THE LARGER THE HAIL THE STRONGER THE UPDRAFT   
NEEDED TO HOLD IT ALOFT IN THE THUNDERSTORM.  IT IS FOR THIS REASON   
THAT IN STORMS THAT PRODUCE TORNADOES...THE HAIL OFTEN FALLS   
DIRECTLY TO THE NORTHEAST OR EAST OF THE PATH OF A TORNADO. THE   
STRONG UPDRAFT IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PART OF THE STORM THAT CAN   
PRODUCE A TORNADO.  
  
IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES WITH THE THREAT OF DAMAGING   
WINDS AND LARGE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF   
A WELL CONSTRUCTED BUILDING AWAY FROM DOORS OR WINDOWS. AN INTERIOR   
SMALL ROOM SUCH AS A BATHROOM OR CLOSET..OR EVEN A HALLWAY AWAY FROM   
DOORS AND WINDOWS IS THE BEST LOCATION  
  
THROUGHOUT SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...THE NATIONAL WEATHER  
SERVICE WILL ISSUE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS ON SEVERE WEATHER  
SAFETY.  
  
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT THE NEW ORLEANS / BATON ROUGE AREA   
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE...  
504 522 7330 OR 985-649-0357 EXTENSION 4.