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October 18th Is Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day In Alabama

| October 18, 2017 @ 12:07 pm

Throughout the Southeastern United States, the spring months of March, April and May are considered the primary severe weather season, but did you that we also have a secondary severe weather season near the end of the year?

That’s right, folks. We have “Fall Severe Weather Season” in Alabama that typically starts in the beginning of November and ends in mid-December, but it can sometimes start earlier or end later than expected.

All modes of severe weather can happen in the fall just like the spring, including tornadoes, large hail, and damaging straight-line thunderstorm winds. The severity of the season varies from year to year, same as the spring.


Alabama Fall Severe Weather Season Statistics

Alabama November/December Tornado Statistics From 2001-2016
Percentage of All Tornado Occurrences….. 22% (196/887)
Percentage of All Tornado-Related Deaths….. 8% (22/287)
Percentage of All Tornado-Related Injuries….. 10% (274/2748)

These statistics include totals from the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak. If you remove that day’s deaths, the percentage of deaths that occurred in November and December between 2001-2016 would jump to around 65%.

From 1950-2016, Alabama had at least one documented tornado touchdown in the month of November or December in 47 out of the 67 years in that span… that’s a whopping 70% of the years!

These statistics are shown to show the importance of the need of being prepared in severe weather events. Preparation can and does make the difference between life and death.

Every home should have a Safety Plan, exercise it monthly.
Has anything changed in your household since Spring? Now is the time to check your emergency supplies, and ensure your NOAA Weather Radio or other portable radio has fresh batteries.

All tornadoes should be considered dangerous.
Regardless of the strength, all tornadoes are capable of producing damage and causing injuries.

Most storm-related damage occurs with Severe Thunderstorm winds.
Treat a Severe Thunderstorm Warning the same as you would a Tornado warning!


Severe Weather Awareness & Safety Information

First and foremost, KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE! No matter what you have in your severe weather plan, it will never be complete until you can pinpoint your location on a map. Take a few moments now to learn some local geography so you can be more prepared when severe weather strikes. Don’t just stop at your home location, learn surrounding counties and communities. This extra bit of knowledge will help you determine if storms in other areas are heading your way.

To help you with this, NWS Birmingham has put together a Story Map that highlights some information about each of the 39 counties in Central Alabama. It can be found here.


Knowledge is power, a power that could SAVE YOUR LIFE

Following are some great informational graphics from NWS Birmingham about severe weather and preparedness…

Basics (Click to enlarge.)

Severe Thunderstorms (Click to enlarge.)

Flooding (Click to enlarge.)

Tornadoes (Click to enlarge.)

Lightning (Click to enlarge.)

Receiving Alerts (Click to enlarge.)

Safety Plan And Reporting (Click to enlarge.)


Information and informational graphics from NWS Birmingham.

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About the Author ()

Scott Martin is an operational meteorologist, professional graphic artist, musician, husband, and father. Not only is Scott a member of the National Weather Association, but he is also the Central Alabama Chapter of the NWA president. Scott is also the co-founder of Racecast Weather, which provides forecasts for many racing series across the USA. He also supplies forecasts for the BassMaster Elite Series events including the BassMaster Classic.

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