SWAW: Focus on Tornadoes and Test

SWAW stands for Severe Weather Awareness Week. This is an annual event, and has been since 1975, to focus on the weather threats which come with severe weather season in Alabama. Many, many states hold these educational events in an effort to increase the awareness of people to the severe weather threats and also to the procedures to follow for safety. Wednesday’s focus is on tornadoes and a special test of NOAA Weather Radio.

-Brian-

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
632 AM CST WED FEB 19 2014

...THIS WEEK IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN ALABAMA...
...TODAY IS TORNADO AWARENESS DAY...
...SPECIAL WEEKLY RADIO TEST MESSAGE TODAY AT 9 AM...

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN
ALABAMA BY GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY. DURING THIS SPECIAL WEEK,
ALABAMIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO LEARN AND OR REVIEW THE PROPER
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY FOR PROTECTING THEIR LIVES DURING
SEVERE WEATHER.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN BIRMINGHAM WILL CONDUCT
THE WEEKLY NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL HAZARDS TEST AT THE SPECIAL TIME
OF AROUND 9 AM TODAY, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH. THIS TEST WILL
REPLACE THE WEEKLY RADIO TEST NORMALLY PERFORMED BETWEEN 11 AM AND
NOON EACH WEDNESDAY. THE INFORMATION MESSAGE GOING ALONG WITH THIS
WEEKLY RADIO TEST WILL HIGHLIGHT APPROPRIATE PREPAREDNESS AND
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS CONCERNING TORNADOES. IF INCLEMENT WEATHER
DEVELOPS TODAY, THIS SPECIAL WEEKLY RADIO TEST WILL BE POSTPONED
UNTIL FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST, AT 9 AM.

SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES TODAY WITH A CLOSER LOOK AT
TORNADOES AND TORNADO SAFETY. THE MONTHS OF MARCH THROUGH MAY ARE
KNOWN AS THE SPRING TORNADO SEASON. A FALL TORNADO SEASON ALSO
EXISTS FROM NOVEMBER THROUGH MID DECEMBER. ALABAMA IS ONE OF THE
FEW LOCATIONS IN THE WORLD THAT HAS TWO DISTINCT SEVERE WEATHER
SEASONS.

A TORNADO IS DEFINED AS A VIOLENTLY ROTATING COLUMN OF AIR THAT IS
IN CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. IF THE CIRCULATION IS NOT ON THE
GROUND, THEN IT IS DEFINED AS A FUNNEL CLOUD. TORNADOES USUALLY
DESCEND FROM THUNDERSTORMS. WIND SPEEDS IN TORNADOES CAN RANGE
FROM 65 MILES PER HOUR TO 318 MILES PER HOUR, THE HIGHEST TORNADO
WIND SPEED EVER RECORDED.

YOUR SAFETY DEPENDS ON BEING CONSTANTLY AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SEVERE WEATHER. A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND
TORNADOES IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. A WATCH IS NORMALLY
ISSUED FOR A LARGE AREA COVERING NUMEROUS COUNTIES. THE WATCH IS
INTENDED TO GIVE YOU TIME TO REVIEW YOUR SAFETY RULES. THE SKY MAY
BE SUNNY, BUT WEATHER CHANGES CAN TAKE PLACE QUITE RAPIDLY.

A TORNADO WARNING MEANS THAT A DEVELOPING TORNADO HAS BEEN
DETECTED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR OR HAS BEEN
REPORTED ON THE GROUND BY RELIABLE SOURCES. A TORNADO WARNING IS
TYPICALLY ISSUED FOR A PORTION OF COUNTIES AT A TIME AND USUALLY
LASTS NO MORE THAN 45 MINUTES. IF A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR
YOUR COUNTY, YOU SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU SEE A
TORNADO OR FEEL THREATENED, MOVE TO A SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY, AS
PRECIOUS SECONDS CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE.

HERE IS SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING TORNADO SAFETY...

IF YOU ARE IN A HOME OR SMALL BUSINESS, GO TO THE BASEMENT OR TO
A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET, BATHROOM OR INTERIOR
HALLWAY WITHOUT WINDOWS ON THE LOWEST LEVEL. PUT AS MANY WALLS
BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE. IF POSSIBLE, GET
UNDER SOMETHING STURDY, SUCH AS A HEAVY TABLE, OR USE A MATTRESS
TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS. MOST INJURIES ASSOCIATED
WITH HIGH WINDS ARE FROM FLYING DEBRIS, SO REMEMBER TO PROTECT
YOUR HEAD. IF AVAILABLE, PUT ON A BICYCLE OR MOTORCYCLE HELMET TO
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM HEAD INJURIES.

IF YOU ARE IN A LARGE BUSINESS, SCHOOL, HOSPITAL, SHOPPING CENTER
OR FACTORY, GO TO THE DESIGNATED SHELTER AREA. IF A SHELTER AREA
IS NOT AVAILABLE, THE BEST PLACE TO GO IS AN INTERIOR HALLWAY ON
THE LOWEST LEVEL. STAY AWAY FROM THE STRUCTURALLY WEAKER PORTIONS
OF BUILDINGS, SUCH AS WINDOWS AND ROOMS WITH EXPANSIVE ROOFS,
WHICH ARE MORE LIKELY TO COLLAPSE WHEN TORNADOES STRIKE. DO NOT
WASTE TIME OPENING WINDOWS IN AN ATTEMPT TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO A
BUILDING. THE OLD BELIEF THAT DAMAGE COULD RESULT FROM RAPID
PRESSURE CHANGES DURING A TORNADO IS NOT TRUE. IT WILL NOT MAKE
ANY DIFFERENCE IN A TORNADO IF THE WINDOW IS OPEN OR NOT. YOUR
SAFEST COURSE OF ACTION IS TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY WHEN A
TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR VEHICLE, GET OUT AND TAKE SHELTER
IN A STURDY BUILDING OR STORM SHELTER. IF THERE IS NOT AN ADEQUATE
BUILDING NEARBY, GET TO A LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD FROM FLYING
DEBRIS. DO NOT TAKE COVER UNDER AN OVERPASS AS THIS DOES NOT
PROVIDE ADEQUATE SHELTER DURING A TORNADO AND CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE
INCREASED WIND SPEEDS DUE TO A TUNNELING EFFECT.

ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, WE WILL HIGHLIGHT FLOODING AND FLASH
FLOODING, WHICH ARE THE NUMBER ONE WEATHER KILLERS IN THE UNITED
STATES. FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND THEN CLICK ON CENTRAL ALABAMA, OR CONTACT JIM
STEFKOVICH, METEOROLOGIST-IN-CHARGE, NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BIRMINGHAM, AT 205-664-3010, EXTENSION 222, OR JOHN DE BLOCK,
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST, AT EXTENSION 223.

$$

Category: Alabama's Weather, Severe Weather