Dangerous Tornado Situation

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This is one of those forecasts I hate to make and I sincerely hope is completely wrong. 

Before I go further, tornado forecasts are not a cause of worry or concern, they are a call to action. So, here is the forecast.
In south central Kansas, including Wichita, there is a 30% chance of a tornado within 25 mi. of a given point. The hatching means the tornado could be violent. 

The signifiant threshold is 5% (brown). If you live in the 5%, or higher areas, please monitor the weather for any tornado watches and then for the first sign of a thunderstorm. 

Here is what I recommend you do now if you live in the 30% (Wichita) or 15% (Topeka, OKC) areas:
  • Consider taking family heirlooms to your shelter now.
  • Consider postponing little league games.
  • Making plans now for sheltering any infirm friends or relatives.
  • Put your car in the garage or under the car port due to the risk of giant hail (see below).
  • Secure items that can be blown about. 
  • Wouldn't hurt for you to get some extra cash from the ATM and fill your fuel tank.
  • Plan to take any prescription drugs to your shelter.
  • Wear shoes to shelter in case the worst happens.
  • If you don't have underground shelter, make sure there is room in an interior bathroom or closest in the middle of the house for your family.
  • Download the free AccuWeather app and allow it to use your location. It is a great extra warning tool. 
Can this forecast be wrong? Yes! There is a possibility Mother Nature will create too many thunderstorms for large tornadoes to occur but there will still be a threat of smaller tornadoes and damaging winds. So, these precautions are still worth taking.

You may recall I mentioned hail. The 15% (yellow) is the significant threshold. The hatched area is where large or even a few giant hailstones may fall.
I will update again around noon (different schedule than I originally thought).

Late addition: There is a chance of flash flooding. You may want to limit your driving even after the tornado/hail threat has passed.

Don't worry, we've been through this before many times!



Comments

  1. StephMay 18, 2017 at 12:59 PM

    Please add pets to your list of things to have a plan for / take to shelter in advance!

    ReplyDelete

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