What is the difference between a watch and a warning?
A watch alerts you to potential severe weather approaching your area. It doesn't mean the severe weather will occur. It means you should prepare for the weather to worsen.
A warning states the severe weather is impending or present in your vicinity. You should immediately take precautions to protect yourself and your family.
NBC10 and FOX14 want you to be prepared when bad or severe storms strike but it's up to you to devise a plan to keep your family safe. Using the information below, develop a plan today for your home, work, school and for outdoors. Be ready to act when good weather goes bad; it could be the most important decision you'll ever make!
Severe Thunderstorms
During severe thunderstorms, the air near a lightning strike is heated to 50,000 degrees - hotter than the surface of the sun. Around the Ark-La-Miss, thunderstorms occur year-round with a peak in the summer months and people outdoors (especially near trees or water) have the highest risk of being struck. Also, depending on their strength, some thunderstorms produce large hail and gusty winds, leading to property damage, injuries and sometimes death.
So what should you do when thunderstorms approach? Remain indoors away from windows, which can break, and electrical appliances, which can conduct electricity. If you're caught outside with nowhere to run, find a low spot and crouch down on the balls of your feet. Keep contact with the ground limited, and avoid being the tallest object.
Flash Flooding
It doesn't take long, sometimes just a few minutes to hours of excessive rainfall, to cause a flash flood. Surprisingly enough, more weather deaths can be blamed on flash flooding that anything else, and nearly half of all flash flood fatalities are auto related. The key to survival during flooding is to avoid running water, such as you would find in swollen streams and low water crossings. Drive cautiously and never go through barricades.
Remember, some flooded roadways may not yet be blocked off (particularly in rural areas) so watch for water over the road - water as little as one foot deep can carry your car off the road. Be extra cautious at night when darkness makes it especially hard to see water over the road. Finding an alternate route may cost you time but it could definitely save your life. If you live in a flood-prone area, make a family evacuation plan and prepare to move to higher ground with little notice.
Tornadoes
Tornadoes are one of nature's most violent storms they occur frequently in the south. Fortunately, Live Storm Track Doppler allows NBC10 and FOX14 Meteorologists to detect and warn you before tornadoes hit the ground. Most tornadoes are quite weak, causing little damage, but the strongest tornadoes can annihilate everything in their paths.
Look out for a dark, greenish sky, large hail, a "wall" cloud, or a loud roar (described like a freight train). Keep in mind, some tornadoes are visible and some are quite hard to see. If you think you're in the path of a tornado get to a secure home or sturdy building. Avoid mobile homes. Head for the the lowest floor, in the center of the building, away from windows. A bathroom or central closet offers better protection. Use blankets or a mattress to protect yourself and others from flying debris. If caught outside or in a vehicle, do not try to outrun the tornado in your car. As a last resort, lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression. |
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