Severe Weather Safety

Here are a few simple ideas on how to be prepared for severe weather:

• Sign up for weather alerts
  • Personal and local weather alerts are available from a variety of sources, including weather.com, accuweather.com, KAAL-TV, WCCO, KARE11, KSTP, FOX9.
  • Alerts for Steele County residents are available through the Steele County Emergency Notification System. These alerts are not only for severe weather, but other emergencies that local law enforcement want residents to be aware of.
• Learn more about outdoor warning sirens
  1. Warning sirens are operated by each county and maintained by each city/county.
  2. Sirens normally sound for 2–3 minutes and are activated based on weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service. There is no such thing as an "all-clear" siren.
  3. The outdoor warning sirens are not meant to be heard when indoors – they are for alerting residents who may be outdoors and have no other way to receive alerts that severe weather is approaching.
• Have a working NOAA weather radio
  1. Weather radios receive alerts from the National Weather Service, not only for warnings, but also watches. They are available for purchase online or at most local retail stores.
• Understand the difference between advisories, watches, and warnings 
  1. Advisories are issued with less hazardous weather conditions, but severe weather may still pose significant safety risks or travel problems.
  2. Watches are issued with weather conditions that are favorable for a hazardous weather event. Residents should stay alert to changing conditions and be prepared to shelter or evacuate.
  3. Warnings are issued when dangerous weather is occurring or imminent. Residents need to take protective action immediately.

Since there are many outdoor activities available during the summer, it is important to be aware of how to stay safe from thunderstorms, lightning and hail.

• Thunderstorms: Warm, humid conditions are favorable for storm development. Storms may occur singly, in clusters or in lines. Storms typically produce heavy rain for a brief period. Ten percent of storms are severe - typically including high winds and large hail.
• Hail: Hail is larger than sleet and forms in thunderstorms. Updrafts are strong rising currents of air within a storm that carry water droplets to a height where they freeze and become hail. Hail can range from pea-sized (most common) to as large as baseball-sized or more. Large hail stones fall faster than 100 mph and can injure or even kill people.
• Lightning: All thunderstorms produce lightning. A bolt of lightning can be over five miles in length. Lightning can strike up to 15 miles away from the center of a storm. Your chance of being struck by lightning once in your lifetime: 1 in 12,000. (NWS Data). "Heat" lightning doesn't exist - it is flashes from a far-away storm that can't be heard.

Floods are one of the most common natural hazards in Minnesota. Seasonal snowmelt floods tend to develop slowly. Flash floods develop quickly during heavy rains leaving little time for preparation. Risks are greater in low-lying areas, near existing water, behind a levee or downstream from a dam. 

General Flood Preparedness

Before a Flood

• Assemble an emergency supply kit that includes enough provisions for you and your family to live on for a minimum of three days.
• Make an emergency plan for you and your family and share it with them.
  Learn about the emergency plans that have been established in your area by your state and local government.
• Get a NOAA Weather Radio. Listen for information and warnings.
• Elevate appliances such as the furnace, water heater and electric panel in your home if you live in an area that has a high flood risk. 
• Consider installing "check valves" to prevent flood water from backing up into the drains of your home. As a last resort, use large corks or stoppers to plug showers, tubs, or basins. 
• If feasible, construct barriers to stop floodwater from entering the building and seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds. 
• Get Flood Insurance. Property insurance does not typically cover flood damage. Talk to your insurance provider about your policy and consider if you need additional coverage. You may also want to learn about the National Flood Insurance Program at www.FloodSmart.gov

During a Flood

• Plan: Listen to radio or TV for information. Be aware of road and bridge closures; find alternate routes. Move immediately to high ground if flood waters are near. Be prepared to evacuate on short notice.
• Prepare: If you have to evacuate, and time permits, secure your home, bring in outdoor furniture, move essential items to an upper floor and turn off utilities. Plan an evacuation route and inform family and neighbors of destination.
• Don't Drive: Do not walk or drive through moving water or on flooded roads. Be aware of downed power lines.

After a Flood

• Return home only when authorities indicate it is safe. 
• Use caution when entering buildings. 
• Service damaged septic tanks, cesspools, pits, and leaching systems.
• Clean and disinfect damaged property.
• Halve alternate sewage/toilet capacity.

Tornadoes are nature's most intensely violent storm. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. 

Know the tornado alert terms and what actions to take:

• Tornado Watch: Weather conditions are favorable for tornadoes.
  • Be alert to changing weather conditions.
  • Know your surroundings and location.
  • Have a plan for severe weather.
  • Have a programmed NOAA Weather Radio operating.
  • Listen to radio or TV or check the internet frequently for up-to-date information.
• Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.
  • Find shelter immediately.
  • Seek a small interior room.
  • Get away from glass windows.
  • Leave mobile homes or trailers.
  • If outside, lie flat in a ditch or depression and cover your head.
  • Do not get under an overpass or bridge.
  • If in a vehicle stop and find shelter in a strong building nearby immediately.
  • Watch for flying debris.
  • Once in a safe place, be sure to monitor your local forecast for the latest updates.

Heat-related fatalities outpace deaths in several other weather categories. Based on a national average, excessive heat claims 219 lives each year. By contrast, floods kill 88, tornadoes 57, lightning 52, and hurricanes 15. 

It is important to understand the heat index and how that affects extreme heat alerts. The heat index is a measure of how hot it feels when relative humidity is added to the air temperature. NOAA issues heat alerts based mainly on heat index values.

Excessive Heat Outlooks: Are issued when the potential exists for an excessive heat event in the next 3-7 days. An Outlook provides information to those who need considerable lead time to prepare for the event, such as public utility staff, emergency managers and public health officials.

Excessive Heat Watches: Are issued when conditions are favorable for an excessive heat event in the next 24 to 72 hours. A Watch is used when the risk of a heat wave has increased but its occurrence and timing is still uncertain. A Watch provides enough lead time so that those who need to prepare can do so, such as cities officials who have excessive heat event mitigation plans.

Excessive Heat Warning/Advisories: Are issued when an excessive heat event is expected in the next 36 hours. These products are issued when an excessive heat event is occurring, is imminent, or has a very high probability of occurring. The warning is used for conditions posing a threat to life. An advisory is for less serious conditions that cause significant discomfort or inconvenience and, if caution is not taken, could lead to a threat to life.