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Weather Blog – Tuesday 3/14/23

This week is severe weather preparedness week. As a part of this, the tornado sirens went off this morning. With this in mind, we wanted to provide some basic tornado safety tips.

A tornado is essentially a violently rotating air column that appears as a funnel cloud. These clouds stick down from the sky and move on the ground in some path. They can last for a few minutes to a few hours (in extreme cases). Below, you will find some tornado safety tips and resources.

Tornado Safety Tips (House)

  1. Proceed to a safe shelter that is free of windows and is on the lowest level of the building. This can include areas like basements, bathrooms, and closets.
  2. In addition, bring something heavy to protect your head and neck. This could be a heavy book, furniture, or thick blankets.
  3. Pay attention to all weather reports for your area. Listen to local officials for additional directions.

Tornado Safety Tips (Car)

  1. Proceed to the nearest building. If no sturdy buildings are nearby, lay flat in the nearest ditch/culvert,
  2. Use something heavy to protect your head and neck. This can include heavy books and blankets.
  3. Pay attention to all weather reports for your area.

Tornado Safety Resources:

  1. Ready.gov website: https://www.ready.gov/tornadoes
  2. Ready.gov info sheet: https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/tornado-information-sheet.pdf
  3. National Weather Service Page: https://www.weather.gov/bmx/sps_torsafetyrules

This is provided to you by Gavin Gunder