2006 Severe Weather Awareness NOAA’s National Weather Service Warning and Forecast Office Hastings, Nebraska

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National Weather Service Centers for Environmental Prediction (SPC,TPC/NHC) Regional Headquarters Warning And Forecast Offices River Forecast Centers Department of Commerce National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin

The Hastings NWS Located just north of Hastings on the west side of 281. Open year round, 24 hours a day About twenty technicians and meteorologists.

Service Area County Warning and Forecast Area 297,000 people in 30 counties

2005 – Year in Review Number of Tornadoes –135 Tornadoes in Kansas - A Record –40 Tornadoes in Nebraska Most in a Month –50 Tornadoes in Kansas in June –18 Tornadoes in Nebraska in May NO Deaths or Injuries

April = 4 May = 12 June = 5 September = 2 23

Hastings, NE Hailstorm May 11, 2005 Photo provided by Adams County Emergency Management

Information You need it! The community needs it! We need it!

Be Informed!! Follow the weather forecast; Know what is expected!! Keep an Eye to the Sky! SEVERE WEATHER PREPARATION (Both for Spotters and Public) When you know what is coming, you can prepare and be ready !

Ways to Be Informed National Weather Service (24/7) NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio Internet Home Page Telephone Local Broadcast Media TV/Radio The Weather Channel Other PC/Desktop/PDA/Cell Phone Fax/Pagers/Scanner Newspaper Word-of-Mouth Look out the Window!

Get the forecast and other info Radar Display Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook

All Hazards Weather Radio

Spotters Skywarn Page Hazardous Weather Outlook Storm Prediction Center –Day 1, 2, 3 outlooks –Mesoscale Discussions Area Forecast Discussions Report Severe Weather Spotter/Skywarn Information

Skywarn/Spotters web page

Now We Are Informed Here come the storms!

Supercell Formation: wind shear

The BIG Picture! Wall Cloud Shelf Cloud Rain Courtesy: Wichita Eagle Beacon

The Top of the Storm (best seen miles from storm) Overshooting Top - large cloud dome - extends above anvil Back-sheared Anvil - well defined edges Updraft Strength Lightning Frequency

Look for these Low Level Thunderstorm Features Rain-Free Base: Low, flat cloud base with updraft towers and no visible rain. Common to most storms. Wall Cloud: isolated lowering attached to the rain-free base, on the back side of the storm, may rotate. Tornadoes form on Wall Clouds… But most storms do not have wall clouds.

Can You Find the Wall Clouds? RAIN

Putting it all Together

T RFD (Top view) UPDRAFT DOWNDRAFT N Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD)

A rotating, funnel-shaped cloud extending downward attached from a thunderstorm base Usually located near updraft Do not reach ground Many False Reports Funnel Clouds

Tornado Variations!

Tornado Formation: Radar

Spotter Location As Storms Get Closer Determine Storm Movement Best (and Safest) view is South and East of Storms Path (Storm moving Northeast) View Rear Flank Have Storm move from Left to Right Avoid Rain area due to low visibility (Forward area)

S potter Position Very Important Three Views, Same Storm Looking South (1) Looking Northeast (2) Looking Northwest (3) Tornado 3 2 1

Nighttime Spotting Mobile spotting at night is especially dangerous Watch for flashes by a tornado breaking power lines Note the wind direction and changes in wind direction Utilize lightning for storm structure and cloud base Know your directional relationship to the storm Don’t confuse shelf clouds with wall clouds, look for signs of rising or rotating clouds. Drive very carefully!

LIGHTNING SAFETY ALL Thunderstorms have Lightning Can Strike Miles from Storm If you hear Thunder, Take Cover! Hotter than the Sun! Sun: 11,000 °F Lightning: 50,000 °F No Warnings for Lightning 30/30 Rule Bottom Line: Stay Inside Vehicle or Building!

Spotter Safety Tornadoes Have an Escape Route Watch Overhead Don't take Chances Stay Calm! Drive Away at Right Angles Find Ditch, Culvert or Low Area  Don’t End Up This Way!

Tornado Look-A-Likes Rainshafts Dust Scud Mammatus Smoke/Fire Not the Real Thing! ALWAYS Look for Rotation…

Tornado Look-A-Likes Precipitation Shafts –Streaks of precipitation falling from a cloud and reaching the ground Watch Closely –Cascading or “dispersed” nature

Tornado Look-A-Likes Mammatus Found Under the Anvil - Photo by David Lawrence

Tornado Look-A-Likes Scud Clouds Not Attached to Storm Base Not Rotating

Tornado Look-A-Likes Smoke Plume!

Squall Line

Shelf Cloud A long Cigar Shaped Cloud, on the leading edge of a T-storm Be Alert to Strong Shifting Winds Wind First, then Rain Radar of Squall Line

Shelf Cloud

Severe Storm: Two Faces Wall Clouds Back of storm Inflow/Updraft Possible Tornado Near Hail Region Points toward Rain Shelf Cloud Front of Storm Outflow/Downdraft Long Large Cloud Downburst Wind

Storm Spotter Reports Tornadoes, Funnels and Wall Clouds Hail Damaging Wind Gusts – Report Damage Flash flooding

Estimating/Reporting Hail Size Pea…………..0.25” Penny……….0.75” Nickel……….0.88” Quarter……..1.00” Half-Dollar…1.25” Golf Ball… ” Tennis Ball ” Baseball……2.75” Grapefruit….4.00” Special Evaluation Test: A Severe Thunderstorm is 1.00” hail or greater. Continue to report all hail!

Estimating Wind Speeds 50 – 57 MPH: Small Branches/Limbs Broken (Less Than 2 inches Diameter) 58 – 69 MPH: Large Limbs/Power Lines Down (2-4 Inches Diameter) 70 – 80 MPH: Small Trees Uprooted, Very Large Limbs Down, Shingles Torn Off > 80 MPH: Large Trees Uprooted, Power Poles Snapped Off, Cars Blown Off Roads

We Need Your Reports! We greatly appreciate the work that you do Helps us understand what is happening Real-Time, Eyewitness Information Supplement Radar, Satellite & Other Data Information used in Warnings & Statements adds Credibility and Urgency Helps with follow up and damage surveys We Need Your Reports!

Reporting Information to the NWS Directly to the NWS – – Severe Weather Reports only Dispatch/911 center –Responsible for warning communities –Our (NWS) point of contact Amateur Radio eSpotter

espotter.weather.gov

Send us a report

Tornado Safety Seek shelter in a basement, Safe Room or lowest floor in an interior room (Middle of basement; under Table/Stairs/Bench) Protect your head from flying debris Abandon your vehicle (drive away if possible) Avoid Gyms and Auditoriums Avoid Mobile Homes Avoid Highway Overpasses Don’t Try This at Home!! In a vehicle, Caught in a Tornado!

Tornado Debris: Very Dangerous Why you MUST be in a basement or Safe Room....

Storm Strength Tornado Potential Property/Crop Damage Vehicle Windshields Use Common Sense! Stay Inside

That’s it! Thanks for watching! Reporting severe weather ONLY! For all other calls