Severe Thunderstorms are Especially Dangerous
It’s official: Summer is here! While that means warm temperatures, extra hours of daylight, and enough humidity to literally make your hair curl, it’s also prime-time for thunderstorms.
There are a variety of clouds that can produce rain, but only cumulonimbus clouds can produce lightning, hail, and tornadoes. They start out innocently enough as regular white fluffy cumulous clouds, but when they grow very tall, that’s when you know there may be a storm brewing.
At this time of year, you may hear watches and warnings issued for “Severe Thunderstorms.” For the record, a storm doesn’t have to be “severe” for it to be dangerous. For one, they all produce lightning, which kills an average of 62 people in the U.S. every year, and injures many more. (Lightning can happen year round too!) Thunderstorms can also produce heavy downpours and flash floods without ever having been classified as “severe.”
Officially, to be a severe thunderstorm, it must meet certain criteria. There must be wind of 58 mph (60 kts) or stronger, hail of 1” in diameter (quarter size) or larger, and/or a tornado. When any or all of these elements are reported by spotters or indicated on radar, the National Weather Service will issue a warning. When you hear of a warning for your area, take it seriously and move to a safe place. Warnings are issued for storms that can and do cause damage, injury, or death.
The hail criteria I mentioned above is actually new this year. In the past, warnings were issued for penny, dime, or nickel size hail, which is significant in size (and loud), but really not enough to do any damage. With the new system, I think we’ll actually see fewer warnings and the warnings we DO get will carry more weight. You won’t see that little crawl at the bottom of your tv screen unless there’s a storm out there that will be able to do serious damage.
When a warning is issued by the National Weather Service, there is a thunderstorm that has been observed or indicated on radar to be dangerous. If the warning information tells you that you’re in the path of the storm, the best course of action is to seek shelter. The best place to go is a basement of a sturdy structure, especially if there’s a tornado warning. If not a basement, an interior room such as a closet or bathroom, on the lowest level of a building is the next best option. If you’re outside or in a car, get to the nearest sturdy structure. Don’t take shelter under trees or highway overpasses.
