# 6280
Spring and early summer are the time of year that typically produces the greatest number of severe thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks, and this morning NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center has issued a forecast for Saturday that includes a high risk of severe weather across parts of the central U.S.
SPC AC 130602
DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK RESENT 1
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0102 AM CDT FRI APR 13 2012
VALID 141200Z – 151200Z
...THERE IS A HIGH RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF OK AND KS . . . THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF NW TX...CNTRL AND WRN OK...CNTRL AND ERN KS...SE NEB...NW MO AND FAR SW IA... ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE MID-MO VALLEY...UPPER MS VALLEY...SRN PLAINS AND CNTRL PLAINS... TORNADO OUTBREAK LIKELY ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS NWD INTO THE MID-MO VALLEY FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT ...SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS...
AN IMPRESSIVE UPPER-LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE EWD ACROSS FOUR CORNERS REGION SATURDAY AS A POWERFUL 90 TO 110 KT MID-LEVEL JET EJECTS NEWD INTO THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS. AHEAD OF THE SYSTEM...A CORRIDOR OF MODERATE TO STRONG INSTABILITY IS FORECAST ACROSS ECNTRL KS...CNTRL OK INTO NW TX. THIS COMBINED WITH STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND STRONG LOW-LEVEL SHEAR WILL BE VERY FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE STORMS AND A TORNADO OUTBREAK WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS THE SRN AND CNTRL PLAINS FROM LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON LASTING THROUGH THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD.
March, April, May and June generally see the strongest, and most frequent tornadoes, but in truth - these violent windstorms can occur any time of the year - particularly in the south.
In an average year, more than 1,000 tornadoes are reported in the United States, but last year (2011) was unusually active. More than 750 tornadoes and 360 tornado-related deaths were reported during the month of April alone.
Credit http://www.spc.noaa.gov
All but a small part of the United States is vulnerable to these storms, but the strongest generally occur in an area we call Tornado Alley (below Left), which runs from middle Texas north though Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
This is the area where you will generally find the largest and most powerful tornadoes; the F5 wedge type.
TORNADO ALLEY DIXIE ALLEY
Fortunately, much of the mid-west is sparsely populated, and so the number of tornado deaths that occur here are actually less than in other areas of the country.
DIXIE ALLEY (above right) sees more frequent, albeit usually less severe tornadoes. Due to a higher population density, more deaths occur in Dixie Alley than in Tornado Alley most years.
Which is why every home and office should have a NOAA weather radio. Once thought of as mainly a source of local weather information, it has now become an `All-Hazards' alert system as well.
In order to receive these broadcasts, you need a special receiver. Many of these radios have a built in `Tone Alert', and will begin playing once they receive a special alert signal from the broadcaster.
Like having an emergency kit, a first aid kit, and a disaster plan - having a weather radio is an important part of being prepared.
Despite dozens of major disasters (often weather related) that occur every year in this country, most Americans remain woefully unprepared to deal with emergencies.
Agencies like FEMA, READY.GOV and the HHS are constantly trying to get the preparedness message out, so that when (not `if') a disaster does occur, human losses can be minimized.
For more information on how to prepare for emergencies, up to and including a pandemic, the following sites should be of assistance.
FEMA http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm
READY.GOV http://www.ready.gov/
AMERICAN RED CROSS http://www.redcross.org/
You’ll find more than you ever wanted to know about tornadoes available from the SPC Tornado FAQ.
