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Glenn Burns Weather
Be prepared for severe weather
During the last week of January, I attended a
proclamation signing by Governor Nathan Deal. It was to proclaim the
week of February 6-11 Severe Weather Awareness Week for Georgia.
It is time for everyone to prepare for the onslaught
of severe storms that will be very likely this spring. La Nina
continues going strong as we move through spring. La Nina is cold
sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central equatorial
Pacific. This cold water actually changes global wind patterns. The
pattern is the same as last spring and we all know what happened
then. Severe storms were relentless and the loss of life and
destruction were the likes of which we had not seen in more than 40
years.
There are severe things to put on your severe storm
preparedness check list. First and foremost is to have a family
safety plan. Make sure everyone in your house knows exactly where to
go and what to do if a tornado warning is issued for your area. Give
the kids and yourself a bike or motorcycle helmet to protect your
head. Always wear shoes when going to your safe place. In case you
have to evacuate or move, you will be much safer walking should
there be glass or debris. Your safe place should be on the lowest
floor away from windows and doors. A tornado is a vortex of wind in
contact with the ground. The ground causes winds to be slightly
weaker right near the ground due to friction. The higher up you go,
the stronger the tornadic winds are because of less friction. That
is why we all need to be on the lowest floor possible, or better
yet, in the basement below ground.
It is suggested that you evacuate a mobile home. We
saw mobile homes that were completely obliterated last season.
Fortunately, the residents got in their car and left before the
tornadoes hit. It is imperative you take immediate action when a
warning is issued.
A big advantage you have living in north Georgia is
WSB-TV. We have the most powerful weather radar on the planet.
Conventional radar takes six minutes to scan a thunderstorm. Our
1.26 million watt dual-pol Doppler radar can scan a storm in less
than a minute. This means we can see the internal structure of a
storm, find damaging winds, damaging hail, and tornadoes, and show
you what is heading your way faster than any other station. Seconds
are critical in local warnings. Our new dual-pol Doppler can also
verify tornadoes because we can actually see debris being lofted in
to the air.
Our severe storm season usually begins in full force
in March and April. Not this year. It begins this month. The outlook
from the Climate Prediction Center is for above average temperatures
to continue this month. This La Nina warming means an earlier severe
storm season and a longer severe storm season.
Please, prepare now.
Glenn Burns is chief meteorologist for WSB-TV in Atlanta.
glenn@lakesidenews.com
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