You might wonder: what do fire and weather have in common?  Well, weather plays a big part in wildfires – how they start and how they are fought.  Each year, wildfires threaten lives, structures, and vegetation across the country.  NOAA National Weather Service meteorologists play a vital role in the awareness and prevention of fire weather – from long-range outlooks to on-site forecasts.

Scott Curl, a forecast meteorologist at the Norman, Oklahoma Forecast Office, explains.

Scott Curl is a Weather Forecaster for the NOAA National Weather Service Norman, OK Forecast Office.

Curl:  “We look at the weather parameters that can set the stage for a large outbreak of wildfires:  temperature, relative humidity, and winds.  What are those doing?  If those 3 – or a combination of those – become extreme, we could have a situation where can have a lot of wildfires.”

So, how do wildfires begin?  Humans start the majority of them – either by accident or arson.  But weather is also a major culprit.  Lightning is especially dangerous in areas of a thunderstorm where no precipitation is falling.  These strikes are known as dry lightning.  Heavy winds have also been known to blow over power lines – causing sparks.

As early as a week in advance, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service, provides outlooks for areas where fires are possible.  As the days draw nearer, the National Weather Service may issue fire weather watches and red flag warnings if the high risk remains.

Forecasters use multiple tools to help monitor weather conditions.  Radar can show smoke plumes.  Hourly computer models give high resolution info about the temperature, relative humidity, wind, and precipitation fields.  Infrared satellite can display very high temperature sensitivities, also know as hot spots.  This data helps identify a wildfire’s location even in open country where there are no visible smoke plumes or people.

Wildfire outbreak near Noble, OK

Together, these tools help forecasters monitor changes in weather conditions, such as wind direction.

Curl: “Those kind of things need to be relayed to the firefighters so they can do a good job of putting out the fire and also for protection because at one point they may be on the side of the fire in a relatively safe zone but if a wind shift comes in, that safe zone may not be very safe anymore.”

Weather support is also present at the scene of the fire.  Incident meteorologists use remote equipment to provide on-site weather forecasts tailored to a specific outbreak.  This information helps fire management teams plan effectively and ensures fire crew safety.

The National Weather Service works closely with the fire-weather community, including the U.S Department of Agriculture, the National Park Service, and Fire Departments.

NEXRAD radar displays a smoke plume from Noble, OK wildfire.

Although it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the National Weather Service, fire weather awareness and prevention is an important part of the mission.  In fact, forecasters treat wildfires much like they would treat a severe thunderstorm.

Curl: “It is a severe event.  The weather is impacting that.  We also know that people and property are in its way.  Where is it going to go?  How is the weather going to react with the fire?  How are those weather changes going to impact not only the fire but the people we know who are out there trying to put that fire out?”

Thanks for listening to another podcast of… That Weather Show… brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners.

Don Burgess, Research Scientist, CIMMS working with NSSL

In the springs of 1994 and 1995, scientists at the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab began searching for answers as to how tornadoes form. They gathered data in the field – meeting the storms head on. This was called VORTEX, or the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment. Don Burgess, a research scientist, working with the lab, reflects on his involvement with this project.

Burgess: “The first VORTEX was our big experiment – first time with mobile radars, lot more mobile instrumentation than ever before, mobile Mesonets instead of stationary Mesonet sites – to go out and study super cells in great detail.”

Mobile Mesonets from VORTEX '95

Traveling through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, meteorologists planned to target a single storm each day to gather data. For the first time ever, VORTEX successfully documented the entire life cycle of a tornado. Between May and June of 2009 and 2010, many meteorologists from across the country will again be heading out to study tornadoes. This project, named VORTEX2, will be take place in the Central Plains. Areas of focus include southern South Dakota, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, the Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. The VORTEX2 Operation Center will be at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma. This field project will not only have scientists from the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab, but will also include participants from about a dozen universities and non-profit organizations. VORTEX2 is an $11.9 million dollar program funded by the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meteorologists will be trying to understand why, when, and how tornadoes form.

Burgess: “VORTEX2 is this once-in-a-decade expenditure that we have had historically and will have again where we put a lot of effort into a detailed study. We really want to get an incremental increase in basic understanding. This is focused towards super cells. They are important b/c they spawn the worst and most significant tornadoes. Tornadoes do come from other systems besides super cells. They deserve study as well but the big ones and the bad ones come from super cells so we want to understand them first and tornado genesis. Although we’ve made progress, we still really don’t understand everything so this is an important field program that is upcoming.

NO-XP mobile radar vehicle

Mobile Mesonets

Numerous special vehicles will be used for VORTEX2. There will be at least ten mobile radars in the field. These are large trucks equipped with weather radars that can be driven anywhere around the storm or tornado. Nine mobile mesonets, which are cars with various weather instrumentation attached to their roofs, will help efficiently collect data. The project will also include four vehicles with the capability of launching weather balloons into various locations of a storm. This is crucial for fully understanding the atmosphere. This impressive fleet of storm vehicles will be hard to miss as they drive towards severe storms this spring. Lou Wicker, a research meteorologist, will be organizing the National Severe Storms Lab’s role in this program

Lou Wicker, Research Meteorolgist, N

Wicker: This is probably one of the largest field programs for severe storms in the last twenty years. We are looking at approximately eight or nine universities, NCAR, and probably up to eighty to one hundred people involved in this. An armada on the road of about 40 vehicles. National Weather Service forecasters are volunteering their time to help forecast. All sorts of individuals that are closely tied to the severe storm research community. We are very excited about that. We feel very lucky to do this and we’re hoping to push the envelope pretty far out there.

Tornado POD

Sticknet

There is also some cutting edge technology being used in the way of unmanned instrumentation. Some of these include Tornado PODs and Sticknets, which meteorologists will attempt to place as close to where they expect tornadoes to form as possible. These devices are able to measure wind speed and direction, record hail and precipitation, as well as measure other important atmospheric variables. Another interesting piece of equipment is the unmanned instrumented aerial system. This will be flown across outflow boundaries and beneath rotating thunderstorms to measure pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and wind speeds. All of this instrumentation together, with a variety of vehicles, should provide an amazing amount of storm data to investigate. VORTEX2 is the largest and most ambitious field project ever to collect data on tornadoes. It will involve nearly 100 scientists and students. The hope is that the data gathered will one day allow National Weather Service forecasters to understand, with plenty of lead time, which specific storms will produce tornadoes.

Imagine getting a warning with details such as when and where a tornado will touch down, how long it will last, and how intense it will be. These are the ambitious goals of VORTEX2.

It’s time yet again for another podcast of That Weather Show, brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma.  I’m Daphne Thompson.

David Andra, Science and Operations Officer for the Norman National Weather Service Forecast Office

Andra: May third of ninety nine was a day that started off much like any severe weather day in Oklahoma.  There was a risk of severe thunderstorms, chance of tornadoes, going to be a likelihood of some hail and strong winds.

That was Dave Andra, the Science Operations Officer for the Norman National Weather Service Forecast Office. As he recalls that historic day so vividly, it’s amazing to think that ten years have passed.

As the forecast office continued monitoring the surrounding weather, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center had a slight risk out in western and central Oklahoma. This meant they expected some thunderstorms, but nothing out of the ordinary. By mid-morning, things were beginning to change. Moisture was streaming north into Oklahoma and Kansas. Weather maps were showing the atmosphere was becoming unstable and suitable for tornadoes.

At 11:15a.m., the slight risk area had been upgraded to a moderate risk. Forecasters were starting to suspect something more significant could occur that afternoon. An hour later, the Norman Forecast Office upgraded their thunderstorm outlook, noting the likelihood for supercell thunderstorms with isolated tornadoes. They encouraged emergency managers and spotters to be prepared for possible activation.

As the afternoon progressed, it became more obvious something major was looming. A special weather balloon launch showed winds were increasing in speed with height. The data from the launch also provided a profile for strong tornado development. At 3:49 p.m., the Storm Prediction Center upgraded from a moderate to a high risk.  The signs were now evident, a major severe weather incident was about to happen.

At 4:15 p.m. the Norman Forecast Office issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Comanche County. This would be the first of many warnings that day. Less than 30 minutes later, the Storm Prediction Center issued a tornado watch for western and central Oklahoma. Explosive thunderstorms were developing. Things were about to get very bad.

Only moments after the tornado watch came out, the Norman Forecast Office issued a tornado warning for Comanche, Grady, and Caddo counties. The first tornado of the day was spotted near Medicine Park, Oklahoma in Comanche County. Within an hour, residents in the Oklahoma City metro area were advised that storms with a history of tornadoes were approaching.

As evening drew near, numerous tornadic thunderstorms were now occurring in not only Oklahoma, but also southern Kansas. One particular storm was heading directly for Oklahoma City. Television and radio stations were now broadcasting severe weather information exclusively. Broadcasters told area residents they should be in their tornado shelters and taking all precautions to protect themselves.

At 6:57 p.m., the Norman Forecast Office issued the first ever “Tornado Emergency”. This warned that a large and damaging tornado would be entering Moore and south Oklahoma City within the next 15 minutes. The Storm Prediction Center followed by issuing a new tornado watch. This stated a particularly dangerous situation with destructive tornadoes was possible.

Around this time, the Norman Forecast Office even considered going into back-up mode. David Andra explains.

Andra: The forecast office did consider backup mode operation that evening, because there was a likelihood we felt that at some point the storm could turn a little bit and move more towards Norman. That’s often what happens with classic supercell thunderstorms. That turn never occurred, but we prepared for that. We talked to our sister office, our backup office in Tulsa, and stayed in touch with them in the event that something changed. That it moved and turned to the right and affected Norman or some of our critical infrastructure in the way of telephone communications, electricity, and things like that were affected.

By the end of the day, more than 70 tornadoes had occurred in Oklahoma and southern Kansas. One long-track, violent tornado traveled from near Chickasha, Oklahoma to just east of Oklahoma City. The tornado was rated as an F5, the most destructive on the Fujita damage scale. In Oklahoma and Cleveland counties alone, nearly 10,000 structures were either damaged or destroyed. There were 46 fatalities and more than 800 injuries from the event.

Gayland Kitch, Director of Emergency Management and Communications for the City of Moore, recalls his community’s response to this tragic situation.

Gayland Kitch, Director of Emergency Management and Communications for the city of Moore, Oklahoma

Kitch: Our public did very well. There are just hundreds of stories about people that came out of wherever they took shelter and brushed themselves off and then went looking for neighbors and assisted their neighbors and getting them out of where they had been.

Although many people died, hundreds if not thousands more were saved because they were aware of the situation.

Kitch: The warning on May 3^rd was very good. There was a study run by the Health Department that interviewed victims and they found that ninety five percent of the people that were victims knew the tornado was coming. Television was the primary means of warning that day. The tornado came right at the news time and in a very, very active news weather time of the day where people were watching. There was a lot of warning that was passed word of mouth, someone saying it on television, calling their daughters or mothers and making sure they were aware or calling their neighbors. So, the warning on May third was outstanding.

The Norman Forecast Office averaged a 32 minute lead time on the tornado warnings. This allowed people plenty of time to seek shelter. Forecasters, broadcast media, emergency managers, and volunteer storm spotters had worked together to inform the public.

So, what have we learned from this and what would be different today?  David Andra explains what the Norman Forecast Office has learned in the past ten years.

Andra: Some of the biggest improvements in the past ten years I think have to do with the way we disseminate our information. The explosion of the Internet, web pages and wireless technologies is really opening new doors for us to reach more people with graphical information, more specific information and do it more quickly.

 And from a public viewpoint, Gayland Kitch has a positive outlook on how a community can persevere.

Kitch: It’s amazing to me, and even ten years later it just amazes me, that within just a span of a couple of months we cleaned up the damage from eight hundred to a thousand homes that had been destroyed and damaged, had the area looking clean, and already had people rebuilding homes. Within a year or year and a half, almost everybody had rebuilt and today we’ve had another tornado through the same area, cleaned it up and put it back and unless you know where the area is at, you can drive up and down the highway right now or drive through our streets and not ever know that there was an event at all. Probably the main lesson I learned from the event was that you can have what you would normally classified as a worst case event and survive.

Thanks for listening to another podcast of That Weather Show, brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners.

Daphne Thompson is a meteorologist and the NOAA Weather Partners Outreach Coordinator.

Daphne: Welcome to another edition of That Weather Show.  I’m Daphne Thompson.  My guests today are meteorologists who work in different areas of the National Weather Center. We’ll be talking to them about their careers and discussing other options available for meteorology graduates.  Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourselves?

Patrick: My name is Patrick Burke.  I am a meteorologist and general forecaster here at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma.

Pam: My name is Pam Heinselman.  I am a research meteorologist with the National Severe Storms Laboratory.

Jeff: I’m Jeff Evans and I’m currently a lead forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Daphne: Let’s start with you Jeff, why don’t tell us about some of your duties there.

Jeff Evans, lead forecaster at the Storm Prediction Center.

Jeff: The ultimate duty is maintaining the continual weather watch for severe weather in the United States.  I have the ultimate responsibility of all the watches, tornado or severe thunderstorm watches, anywhere in the lower forty-eight states.

Daphne: And you also do research?

Jeff: Yes, we do research.  SELS, which is now the Storm Prediction Center, has always been cutting-edge as far as implementing science into operations, especially whe it comes to severe storms.  And a lot of what’s commonly used today in severe storms forecasting, things that people take for granted, really all came out of a ground roots effort of forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center.  Between maintaining the knowledge and the science and going to conferences and reading lots of papers and understanding that “hey, this is something we can actually implement in operations” and try to begin getting tools and building tools to put that into operations.  There’s certainly a lot of research involved.

Daphne: Pam, let’s talk about what you do at the National Severe Storms Lab. I know your research involves weather radar. Can you talk about that?

Pam Heinselman, research meteorologist with CIMMS working at the National Severe Storms Lab.

Pam: Yes, I do spend some of my time analyzing radar data, which gives me information about severe storms, in particular, tornadic storms, hailstorms, high wind events, things like that.  But then I also spend a lot of time with students.  I’m an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma.  I advise graduate students on their curriculum and on their research projects that they’re doing and I give a lot of presentations to visitors.  We have collaborators who come here and want to learn more about I do.  The specific topic that I work on is the implementation of Phased Array Radar and so that’s a big part of what I do but lots of activities go on in my day.

Daphne: Patrick, can you tell us some of the different types of things you do as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service?

Patrick: First and foremost, the biggest part of our mission at the National Weather Service is to provide public forecasts and warnings for severe weather to protect life and property.  Those are the days we really shine and when there’s a tornado outbreak or a hurricane, when there’s winter weather and ice storms, something of that nature.  We’re working around the clock everyday of the year, even in quiet weather to prepare for those things.  We forecast for airports, river levels and river flooding.  But then there’s also the everyday, seven-day forecast and that type of thing so a lot of diversity to the work.

Daphne: Besides forecasting, what other fields in meteorology can today’s graduate consider?

Patrick Burke, forecaster at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman.

Patrick: Some of the specific fields you can pursue – you know, I chose the forecasting route, operational meteorology.  There’s also the research meteorology that we’ve spoken about and the opportunities in that, whether you go into a government organization or private firm, there’s certainly a lot of research going on.  Some other areas that you could focus on are communications, mass media, broadcasting meteorologist.  I think business is catching on to how weather affects things like energy, insurance companies – I know a lot of meteorologists have gone into that field.  Aviation is another one.  There’s some airlines that hire their own meteorologists.

Daphne: Jeff, you’ve had a lot of job experience in the area of forecasting.  Looking back, what advice would you give students who are trying to decide on a specific career path?

Jeff: I think people shouldn’t set their goals too specific.  I don’t think you should say “I want to work at the Hurricane Center and that’s all I’m going to be satisfied with”.  That’s very unrealistic.  Or the Storm Prediction Center.  There are very few positions, they’re very difficult to get.  Not that that can’t happen.  It happened for me.  It happened for other people.  Basically, if you’re interested in it, I’d follow through with it and just keep an open mind and you might be surprised what you end up falling into and what opportunities you end up stumbling into that you really enjoy.  The more flexible you are to take advantage of that, the better your career will probably take off.

Daphne: I think that’s very good advice.

Well, it’s time to wrap up for today.  Jeff, Pam, and Patrick, thanks for stopping by.  You have given my listeners some great information about what you do here at the National Weather Center.  I am sure that your career advice will help give meteorology graduates a better understanding of what types of jobs are available out there.

Alright, so next time on That Weather Show, we’ll be talking about our guests’ early childhood memories that sparked an interest in weather, as well as some cool weather-related hobbies.  I hope you can join us again.

Daphne Thompson is a meteorologist and the NOAA Weather Partners Outreach Coordinator.

Daphne: Welcome to another edition of That Weather Show.  I’m Daphne Thompson, a meteorologist working at the National Weather Center. Part of my job involves educational outreach.  I’ve talked to lots of students who are interested in weather and becoming meteorologists.

Today, I have some special guests with me who can give us some insight on what it’s like to be a meteorology student.

Let’s start by going around the table and introducing everyone.

Sean Waugh, an undergrad at OU, plans to pursue a research position with a focus on weather instrumentation.

Sean: Hi, my name is Sean Waugh and I am currently an undergrad in the school of meteorology here at the University of Oklahoma.

Angelyn: My name is Angelyn Kolodziej and I just finished my first year of grad school here at the University of Oklahoma.

Patrick: My name is Patrick Burke.  I am a meteorologist and general forecaster here at the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma.

Daphne: So Patrick, you’re also a recent grad student.  What advice would you give someone who is interested in weather and getting a meteorology degree?

Patrick: Probably, first and foremost, the thing that’s always mentioned is you need to have strong math skills.  Strong science skills.  Any additional math you can do in high school.  If you can get into advanced classes, you certainly want to pursue that.  But I think it’s also important – some of the other things that aren’t mentioned quite as frequently are communication skills, good written and verbal skills, English… good computing skills.

Daphne: I know when I was getting my meteorology degree that I thought it was a pretty tough program.  What was your experience?

Patrick Burke works as a general forecaster at the NWS Forecast Office in Norman. He also speaks to the public at storm spotter training sessions.

Patrick: It certainly was a very difficult and demanding field of study.  A lot of late nights, all of weekends spent studying.  I was good at math and science but those things didn’t come real naturally.  I had to work for them.  It’s certainly a demanding field.

Daphne: Sean, you’re finishing up your degree and have a lot of friends doing the same.  Is there anything you’ve noticed about why some students make it through the program and some don’t?

Sean: I think what really separates people is how interested in the field they are.  If it’s kind of shaky, if they’re not real hardcore “I want to be a meteorologist major and I don’t want to do anything else with my life”, then if they run into some difficulties, maybe they drop out, maybe the switch majors, maybe they don’t.  But from what I’ve seen, the people that really die-hard meteorology majors, even if they run into some bad classes, whether it be a math class or meteorology class, even if they fail it and have to get held back a year, they just keep going after it.

Daphne: Angelyn, is there anything you found unique about the program?  Maybe something you weren’t expecting?

Angelyn Kolodzieg, a grad student at OU, works as a research assistant at NSSL. She also gives public tours at the National Weather Center.

Angelyn: If there was one thing I really enjoyed, it was the fact that because of all the hard work you become kind of like a family with all your peers.  Really the close-knit group that you get out of graduating here at OU in a small class – maybe thirty people – you really get to know people well and it really does feel like a family.  So that was something different that I wasn’t expecting.

Daphne: That’s pretty cool!

Well, that’s all the time we have today.  I want to thank my guests for being here and giving some really good advice.  I hope those of you listening and thinking about going into meteorology have gained some good insight into what it takes to become a meteorology student.

Next time on That Weather Show, we’ll be talking about careers in meteorology.  I hope you can join us again.

The EF-5 tornado in Parkersburg IA hit the High School on May 25th, 2008. Barry Bahler/FEMA

2008 could set records for the number of reported tornado outbreaks. Unfortunately, this year is also climbing the charts in tornado-related deaths. From January to mid-June, there have already been one hundred and eighteen fatalities. These tragic numbers are almost double what recent years have produced. Meteorologists, like Greg Carbin at NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, suggest the early start to this unusually turbulent weather may be to blame.

Carbin: There’s the possibility that there’s some linkage, especially in the cool season months – January and February – to La Nina patterns which favor the more amplified jet stream over North America, more large storm systems across the continent. And that lends itself to more thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Other factors include the random nature of tornado occurrences, as well as their location relative to densely populated areas.

Carbin: Most of the fatalities have occurred in towns, Parkersburg and Pitcher being the most recent. There were a number of rural fatalities that occurred during the February outbreak. The bulk of those most likely due to fast moving tornadoes at night and it’s no surprise that many of these fatalities are occurring in mobile homes and we have had a large number of fatalities occur in vehicles this year as well.

Residents of Picher, Oklahoma try to clean up what's left after a powerful tornado struck the small town on May 10, 2008, killing 7 people. Earl Armstrong/FEMA

Many are asking if this year’s intense tornado season could related to climate change. Research meteorologist Harold Brooks, at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, studies the connection between thunderstorms and climate.

Brooks: We have some confidence to say that it’s probably not related to global warming and the reasons are fairly straight-forward. One, if we look back over the historical records we don’t really see any relationship between warming temperatures and more tornadoes during the year. A more fundamental reason is that we don’t really have a good expectation of what will happen to tornadoes in a warming world. We know that some of the ingredients that we need for tornadoes will become more intense and more frequently occurring and other will become less frequent and right now it looks like that the balance will be pretty close to what it is now. So we may not see much of a change at all in tornadoes.

This busy tornado season should serve as a reminder that tornadoes can strike anywhere – and at anytime. Our best defense is to monitor the news and listen to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards for the latest weather updates.  Be prepared to move to safety if weather conditions become threatening.

Thanks for listening to another podcast of That Weather Show brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma.  I’m Gary Skaggs.

Flashflood rescues are dangerous for everyone, not just for the vehicle's occupants. Turn around and go the other way!

It’s raining. Your windshield wipers give you a faint glimpse of the road ahead. You approach a section of the road covered with water. It doesn’t appear to be very deep. The truck in front of you makes it through. What should you do, drive through the water or turn around?

Last week, we talked about flash flood preparation for people in low lying areas.  Today, we’ll discuss what to do if you are driving and there’s water covering the road.

Remember, a flash flood is not something that takes a long time to develop. This is an event that happens quickly.

Did you realize that more than half of all people killed in floods are those in vehicles? They make the poor decision to drive down the flooded road either because the vehicle in front of them makes it or because they think the water doesn’t look too deep.

NEVER drive into water covering the road. You don't know how deep it is, or if the road is washed out. Photo by Patsy Lynch/FEMA

It only takes 18 inches of water to lift your car or SUV. Once your vehicle becomes buoyant; the water will easily push it sideways. Most vehicles will then tend to roll over, trapping those inside and washing them downstream.

If you are driving and the road has water over it, you need to remember this simple saying: “Turn Around – Don’t Drown”.  Never drive on a road with water covering it and never drive around barriers blocking a flooded road or it just may cost you your life.

Many people in automobiles have been killed trying to outdrive a tornado

It’s time for yet another podcast of That Weather Show brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma. I’m Rachel Forsyth.

Fact or Myth? Hiding under an overpass is a safe shelter from a tornado. Stay tuned for the answer.

If you’re driving on the road and see a tornado or hear a tornado warning over the radio for your location, you need to seek shelter immediately. Park your vehicle as quickly and safely as possible, without blocking traffic. Get out and seek shelter in a nearby sturdy building. If you are in the open country, get to low ground or a ditch – away from cars and trees. Lie flat, face-down, and cover your head with your hands.

A tornado can easily lift a vehicle and toss it through the air, as was the case in the May 3, 1999 Oklahoma tornadoes.

A tornado can easily lift a vehicle and toss it through the air. Many people have been killed while trying to outrun a tornado. Although it’s sometimes possible to flee the area, it’s generally not a good idea. You can run into problems like blocked roads or traffic jams. Plus, some tornadoes are wrapped in rain – making them difficult to see.

It’s very important to be prepared and stay alert to weather conditions – especially during times when severe weather is possible. Information about tornado watches and warnings are available from NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

Okay, now let’s go back to our question. Fact or Myth? Hiding under an overpass is a safe shelter from a tornado. It may seem safer than a ditch – but it’s just a myth. The winds from the tornado could cause serious injuries from the flying debris or even blow you out from your hiding spot. Seek shelter in a secure structure or low-lying area.

Thanks for listening to another podcast of That Weather Show brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma. I’m Rachel Forsyth.

A below-ground storm shelter offers the best protection from a tornado.

It’s time for yet another podcast of That Weather Show brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma.  I’m Rachel Forsyth.

Fact or Myth? You should open the windows in your house when a tornado coming.

No matter where you are when a tornado approaches, the thing to remember is to take cover! You want to go to an interior room and put as many walls between you and the flying debris. It’s the debris that kills and injures most people.

When a tornado warning is issued, take shelter in the lowest part of a well built structure. Underground is best, like in a storm shelter or basement. If that’s not available, head to a small, interior bathroom, closet, or hallway.

A small interior room offers some protection. Photo: Vicki Fields

If you’re in a mobile home, you’re not safe even in a weak tornado. Leave immediately and head to a nearby shelter.

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself. Put your shoes on before heading to your safe area. If you have time, grab a helmet to protect your head from flying debris. Get down close to the floor and cover your head with pillows and blankets. Don’t wait for a siren. It may not sound before the tornado strikes. Be prepared and stay alert to changing weather conditions. Information about severe weather warnings is available from a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.

So, what do you think? Fact or Myth? You should open your windows when a tornado is coming. Some people believe it will equalize pressure and minimize damage. However, this is only a myth. If the tornado gets close enough to where you live, it will open the windows for you! Keep your windows closed and stay away from them.

Thanks for listening to another podcast of That Weather Show brought to you by the NOAA Weather Partners in Norman, Oklahoma. I’m Rachel Forsyth.

Another home in West Virginia was torn apart by the flooding of the nearby Clear Fork Creek on July 14, 2001. Photo by Leif Skoogfors/ FEMA News Photo

When you hear the word ‘water’, you may think of swimming pools or weekends at the lake. You might even think of a long rainy day. But that seemingly harmless rain water can become so dangerous that it kills more people each year than tornadoes, hurricanes and lightning. We call this a flash flood.

A flash flood is not something that takes days to happen, like a regular flood. Instead, it’s a situation that can develop quickly.

In some cases, it may not even be raining where you live. However, if the rain has fallen upstream, that means it will be heading to your area soon.

This Garland, WV home was damaged by the flash flood of May 2, 2002. Bob McMillan/FEMA Photo

A Flash Flood Watch means that flash flooding is possible in or near the watch area. While a Flash Flood Warning means that flooding is occurring in the area or will be very soon.

If you live in a low-lying area or near a river, stream, or dam then you need to be prepared to evacuate quickly. If not, the rapidly rising flood waters could leave you trapped. The last place you want to be is on your roof, waiting for a boat or helicopter to take you to safety.

You can find out all types of hazardous weather conditions by listening to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards.