Kansas experiences a wide variety of summertime severe weather, including: tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding. Residents are encouraged to use this week to review their severe weather safety plans. Practice what you would do as if the event was REAL.
Tornado Drill
The National Weather Service in Topeka will conduct a Tornado Drill @ 10am Tuesday, March 2nd. Everyone is encouraged to participate in the drill by practicing seeking secure, safe shelter from a tornado. This test will be broadcast over NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio and many local television and radio stations. Local officials may also sound their warning sirens. We encourage everyone to abide by health and safety guidelines related to covid19 during the tornado test which includes staying at least 6 feet from other people when possible and wearing a mask. If that’s not possible then simply sheltering in place or discussing where you’d go and what’d you’d do are other options.
We will be focusing on several different severe weather safety topics through the week.
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Monday
Preparedness
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Tuesday
Tornado
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Wednesday
Lightning
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Thursday
Hail/Wind
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Friday
Flood
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Preparing for an event starts now! Ask yourself what YOU would do in case of severe weather. Do you have multiple ways to receive alerts? Do you have adequate shelter & supplies?
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Tornadoes pack some of the fastest winds on Earth and are deadly to anyone caught in their path. Kansas averages 95 tornadoes per year but has seen up to 187, with the peak tornado season running from April to June.
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Every lightning strike can be deadly. Lightning strikes the U.S. 25 MILLION times and kills 47 people on average each year. Many of these deaths occur outdoors and are preventable. When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!
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Damaging winds and large hail are two other weapons in a storm’s arsenal. Hail can exceed softball size and straight-line winds can down trees & destroy property. They often garner less respect than tornadoes, but are just as deadly.
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Floods kill more people in the United States each year than any other thunderstorm-related hazard. Many flood deaths are the result of people driving into flooded roads. Turn Around, Don’t Drown! |
For those wishing for a printable version of these safety guidelines, please see our Review page for a printable pdf document.
| Public service announcements courtesy of Bill Kurtis | ||
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