The Tuesday topic for Severe Weather Awareness Week is Severe Weather, Thunderstorms, Lightning, and Hail with Crookston Firefighter Jim Perreault. Perreault gave an overview of facts and the safety precautions everyone should practice in these severe weather conditions.
Thunderstorms are usually formed in warm, humid conditions that create heavy rainfall, hail, and high winds for short periods of time. The winds can reach anywhere from 60 mph to upwards of 100 mph. Storms affect small areas and are typically less than 15 miles in diameter and last approximately 30 minutes but can also last for hours. Storms can also form in clusters, lined formations, or can be a solitary storm that can have varying effects.
Hail can also be a part of thunderstorms and come in many different sizes, ranging from as small as peas to as large as baseballs or even bigger. Perreault highly advises that people take shelter when hail begins, especially if larger sizes fall from the sky. “Larger stones like that have dropped faster than 100 mph, so taking shelter when and if a thunderstorm is around is key to avoid serious injury or death,” Perreault explained. Hail is formed when strong updrafts and air currents carry water droplets up into the clouds, where they freeze, and gravity causes them to fall back down. Hail can form in thunderstorms, but that is not always the case and can be a part of normal, calmer storms. The Fire Department and National Weather Service recommend that if there is a warning or watch of hail to take precautions and find shelter as quickly as possible.
During a thunderstorm, there is always some form of lightning being created in the sky. Lightning can strike as far as 15 miles out from the center of a thunderstorm and be as long as 5 miles in length. So you are not safe even if you are on the outskirts of the storm, as lightning can strike anywhere in it. If you can hear thunder, then lightning can strike you. The Fire Department and National Weather Service recommend that if you are outside and hear thunder to move to a safe shelter immediately, such as a building or an enclosed metal-top vehicle with the windows up, and to stay in the shelter for at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap you hear. If you cannot find shelter, avoid tall trees, hilltops, and open fields. Don’t use ungrounded sheds or flimsy structures as shelters as they could get blown over and put you in even more danger. If you are in water, such as in an outdoor swimming pool or out on a boat on the lakes, get to shore immediately as the water will conduct the electricity and spread it out over the water.
Perreault then went into the difference between the terms the National Weather Service will give out during a Severe Thunderstorm. “A Thunderstorm watch means that the conditions are favorable for a thunderstorm to be produced, so staying alert and informed is key if you hear that.” Perreault reported, “A Thunderstorm Warning is that something of a thunderstorm has been seen or reported to the NWS, so something is already brewed overhead.”
