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South Central US Under The Gun Saturday Apr 13th

#14,004

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center is calling for a moderate risk of severe weather on Saturday, and an enhanced risk on Sunday, across a wide swath of the Southern United States.

April and May are generally the top months for tornadoes in the South, while in June and July the risk moves more into the Midwestern states. As with hurricanes, the intensity of tornado seasons can vary considerably from year to year.

https://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/2018_annual_summary.html#

In 2018, the United States saw 1169 confirmed tornadoes, and recorded 10 deaths due to these storms. A moderate year for storms, with a relatively low loss of life.

Already in 2019, we've seen 24 people lose their lives to tornadoes in the US.

In 2011, however - during a three day period (Apr 25th-28th) - a storm system of epic proportions generated 351 confirmed tornadoes across five southern states, killing 338 persons in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Before and after imagery depicting tornado damage in the vicinity of the intersection of 15th St. E. and McFarland Blvd. E. in southeast Tuscaloosa, AL.

This was the the third deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. History. More than a dozen of these twisters reached intensities of 4 or 5 on the Enhanced Fujita [EF] scale, which can produce near total devastation.

All but a small part of the United States is vulnerable to these storms, and while more common in the spring and summer, they can happen anytime of the year.

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.

Having a safe place to go in your home during a tornado can be life saving. A basement is best, but an interior hallway or windowless room may provide some protection as well.

In the past few years there's been a lot of talk about the value of having some sort of head protection (e.g. a bike, motorcycle, football helmet, etc) during a storm. While there's little or no direct research on their efficacy, there have been some anecdotal reports where they may have prevented severe injury.

The CDC, while falling short of fully embracing the idea, does offer the following advice.

Helmet and Tornado Statement

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to recommend, as its first recommendation, that people in the path of a tornado find a shelter or a tornado-safe room. The safest place in the home is the interior part of a basement. If possible, get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or workbench. If outdoors, lie down in a gully or ditch.

We understand that people are looking for any useful and effective ways to protect themselves. We don’t have research on the effectiveness of helmet use to prevent head injuries during a tornado, but we do know that head injuries are common causes of death during tornadoes. CDC has long made the recommendation that people try to protect their heads.

Because the time to react may be very short, if people choose to use helmets they should know where they are and have them readily accessible. Looking for a helmet in the few seconds before a tornado hits may delay you getting safely to shelter. If people choose to use helmets, these helmets should not be considered an alternative to seeking appropriate shelter. Rather, helmets should be considered just one part of their overall home tornado preparedness kit to avoid any delay.

CDC continues to promote protective measures for use during natural disasters including tornadoes.

Tornadoes and hurricanes aren't the only severe weather threat. During the summer of 2012, a powerful Derecho swept across the Mid-Atlantic states (see Picking Up The Pieces), killing 15 and leaving nearly 4 million people without power, some for more than 2 weeks.

While 15 people died during the storm, at least 32 more died of heat-related illnesses in the two weeks that followed (see 2013 MMWR: Heat-Related Deaths After an Extreme Heat Event — Four States, 2012, and United States, 1999–2009).

Having a good (and well rehearsed) family emergency plan is essential for any disaster. Even with a safe room, family members could become separated (they may be sent to different hospitals or shelters) in the post-disaster chaos.

Some may be injured and unable to provide information about their families.

So it is important to set up a plan, including meeting places and out-of-state contacts, and individual wallet information cards - before you need it (see #NatlPrep : Create A Family Communications Plan).

Together with adequate emergency supplies, a solid first aid kit, and an emergency battery operated NWS Weather Radio, these steps will go a long ways to protecting you, and your family, from a wide variety of potential disasters.