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2010 Florida Severe Weather Guide
2010 Florida Severe Weather Guide
2010 Florida Severe Weather Guide
If a tornado were to strike tomorrow, would you be prepared? Weeks before the drill
Would you know what actions to take? In Florida, tornadoes strike Prepare
all too often. Planning and practice are keys to tornado safety. Inform staff, students, parents.
Whether at home, school or business, everyone should have a plan Review and refine a tornado plan.
in place for severe weather. The tornado drill gives Floridians a
chance to test their plans and determine whether or not they are January 27: The day of the drill
prepared. This is especially true in schools. After 8:00 a.m.
Consider a tornado watch to be in effect
A very important part of Florida Severe Weather Awareness Announce watch to staff, students.
Week is the statewide tornado drill on Wednesday, January 27. On Designate authority (coordinator).
the morning of the drill, all participants should consider themselves Evacuate tornado vulnerable areas.
under a Tornado Watch. A watch means you should monitor
the weather and be prepared to go to a safe place in the event 10:10 a.m.
of a warning. At approximately 10:10 a.m., the National Weather Tornado warning
Service will issue a practice tornado warning. The warning will be Receive message.
broadcast on NOAA Alert Radio as a weekly test message. Coordinator determines threat.
By 10:30 a.m., an “all-clear” message will be issued. Public and com- 10:20 a.m.
mercial broadcasters are encouraged to participate by broadcast- Upon determination of immediate threat, give “take
ing these messages immediately. For the Florida Panhandle counties shelter” or “duck and cover” command (depending on
within the Central time zone, all drill activities will be repeated one space available at location).
hour earlier (9:10 a.m. Central Standard Time).
10:30 a.m.
In real life, you must listen for the watch and warning messages and Termination of Watch and Warning
determine the threat to your area. Then you should decide which Give instructions to return to normal activities. (You
protective actions to take. Important: When in doubt, take imme- will not receive notification. Terminate the drill as you
diate protective action! Plans may vary depending on the number see fit.)
of adults present, how vulnerable your location is, communications
and a host of other factors. All Floridians should use the tornado After the Drill Wrap up
drill to develop and practice their plans. Being prepared saves lives! Following the drill, assess and revise plan as needed.
If actual severe weather threatens Florida on January 27, the drill The tornado warning will be broadcast on NOAA Alert Radio
will be postponed until Friday, January 29. and will be encoded as a weekly test for this drill.
I
t’s 3 a.m., and it’s raining hard. You lie Your chances of surviving uninjured are
in bed awake, even though the rest of excellent. However, most people face a
your family is asleep. Lightning lights tornado without the lifesaving informa-
up your bedroom, and you hear the tion that can be provided by a NOAA
rumble of distant thunder. It happens to Alert Radio.
be late March, the height of Florida’s dan-
gerous tornado season. You have a new The alerts are broadcast from the local several companies and sold in many
NOAA Alert Radio by your bed, and you National Weather Service (NWS) office stores and on the Web. We recommend
know it is correctly programmed be- serving your area. The NWS meteorolo- you buy a weather radio with the Public
cause you get the weekly test and all the gists are watching the weather 24 hours Alert™ designation. This means the radio
warnings for your county. a day, every day. Sophisticated Doppler can be programmed to receive only the
radars and other technology help the alerts that are important to you. This is
“Waaaaaah, waaaaaah waaaaaah,” the ra- meteorologists decide when to issue also known as SAME (specific area mes-
dio alarms. You turn it on and hear a tor- watches and warnings. When the deci- sage encoding) technology. You should
nado warning for your county, and it lists sion is made and the message is broad- set the weather radio to ignore warnings
your town in the tornado threat area. cast, your weather radio can alert you to for counties far away from your location.
the danger. This way, you will get only the alerts that
you need.
NOAA Alert Radio was designated the
sole government-operated radio system Many weather radios can be attached to
to provide warning information directly personal computer strobe lights or other
to the American people for both natural devices to make sure you are alerted.
and other hazards. Now, there are more
than 900 stations around the nation, in- Pay attention when your weather radio
You spring into action, waking your fam- cluding 31 in Florida. alerts you. Listen to the watch or warn-
ily and ushering them into the downstairs
ing message. Check out your newspa-
bathroom, the one with no windows. It’s not just a “weather” radio. It’s an per’s online news site, local TV or radio
“alert” radio. NOAA’s National Weather stations that serve your area. These con-
Since your radio is battery-powered, Service works very closely with Emer- stantly updated sources may be able to
you grab it and take it with you. In the gency Management agencies to provide tell you much more about what is hap-
bathroom, you can hear the rain getting you with other emergency messages, pening. Also, get the big picture on NWS
harder and the thunder getting louder. such as alerts for a wildfire or a chemical Web sites. They can show you the lat-
You hear a severe weather statement spill threatening your area. Emergency est warnings, overlaid on Doppler radar
over the radio telling you the tornado is management agencies may produce evac- loop images.
four miles west of your town and moving uation messages for broadcast on NOAA
east at 35 miles per hour. Alert Radio. During other times, when the weather
is quiet, you may listen to the routine
A bad situation? Yes, but you are ready. Weather radios are manufactured by NOAA Alert Radio program. It gives
you your current conditions, local fore-
casts, marine forecasts, tropical weather
Heavy sleeper? outlooks and other information.
Hurricane Impacts move to the nearest possible evacuation not too far off from the highest observa-
destination outside of the danger zone. tion near Melbourne with a total of 27.65
When most of us think of a hurricane, we
Your family can choose to stay with inches!
think of strong winds. However, a hur-
friends or relatives, or you may choose a
ricane brings other major hazards to life
hotel or motel. For those outside of coastal communi-
and property, including storm surge and
ties, winds associated with the eyewall of
associated coastal flooding, inland flood-
The next deadly hazard associated with a hurricane are a major concern. Hur-
ing, and tornadoes.
hurricanes is inland flooding. Slow mov- ricane force winds can easily damage or
ing hurricanes and tropical storms often destroy mobile homes and other items
The storm surge is the term used to de-
produce large amounts of rain. A typical such as lanai’s, roofing materials, trees
scribe the wall of water that is pushed to-
rule of thumb used for estimating the and power lines. Though a hurricane’s
ward the shoreline as a hurricane moves
maximum rainfall totals (in inches) pos- winds typically weaken rapidly following
onshore. A major hurricane can produce
sible from a storm is to take 100 and landfall, Florida’s flat terrain allows the
a surge of 15 feet or more.
divide it by the storm’s forward motion. stronger winds to survive longer inland
For example, Tropical Storm Fay drifted than in other parts of the country. With
Those living in coastal and near-coastal
across the Peninsula a couple of times at Hurricane Wilma in 2005, winds gusted
communities should know the evacuation
forward motions of around 5 mph. Using to over 100 mph in these areas, causing
zone that they live in. When local offi-
the rule of thumb gives an estimate of 20 damage to several structures, including
cials declare an evacuation for your zone,
inches for the maximum rainfall totals, downtown high rises.
1
EMERGENCY KIT
3
BE INFORMED
You can be ready for an emergency by: Watch TV or listen to the radio for
information
Having a supply kit
Stay calm, have plans ready, and listen
Talking it over with your family for instructions.
Learning about the different threats Ifyou have questions, call your county
- Severe Weather emergency management office.
- Fire
Go to www.FloridaDisaster.org
- Hazardous Materials (biological,
chemical, explosive or radiological) Kids’ activities and information
- Nuclear available at www.kidsgetaplan.com
GET
READY
NOW!
Florida’s Severe Weather Awareness Guide 9
Flooding
National Flood
Awareness Week
March 15 -19, 2010
W
e’ve all seen those pho- much rain falls. It is also how fast it falls
tos in the newspaper: and what happens to the rain after it hits
After heavy rain, some- the ground. All of Florida is vulnerable ing a 24-hour period occurred during
one in a canoe or kayak to flooding at any time of the year. Since Hurricane Easy in September of 1950.
paddles down what is usually the middle Florida is surrounded on most sides by During that storm, 38.7 inches of rain fell
of a street. It may look like fun, but it the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, at Yankeetown, along the Gulf Coast in
is dangerous. Flooding can happen in the state has an abundant supply of mois- Levy County. This heavy rainfall caused
Florida and any of the other 49 states. ture available that feeds developing thun- extensive flooding near Yankeetown and
Even relatively dry states is the desert derstorms which produce heavy rains in south of Ocala. More recently, the wide-
southwest have serious floods from time a fairly short period of time. spread flooding caused by Tropical Storm
to time. Each year, more deaths in the Fay serves as a reminder that tropical
U.S. occur due to flooding than from any Meteorologists try to predict accurately storms can cause as much or greater
other thunderstorm-related hazard. The when, where and how much rain will fall. devastation than hurricanes with fresh-
main reason is that people underestimate The total amount of rain and how fast it water flooding. Tropical systems flood
the force and power of water. Flood ef- falls (the rainfall rate) affect how much neighborhoods and towns but may also
fects can be local, impacting a neighbor- water will collect in places. The more result in flooding of streams and rivers as
hood or community, or very large, affect- water that runs down into streams or all of the rainwater flows into the basin.
ing entire river basins and multiple states. lower areas, the worse the flooding can
In Florida, flooding occurs frequently, but be. Meteorologists at the National Hurri-
often the floods are minor. Nonetheless, cane Center, the Southeast River Fore-
Floridians must be careful because even Hurricanes and flooding cast Center and local Florida National
minor floods can result in a loss of life. Weather Service offices all watch tropi-
Once in a while, Florida can experience While hurricanes are known and feared cal systems very closely to try to fore-
major floods that can cause many deaths for their ferocious winds, historically it is cast how much rainfall it may produce
and destruction of property. We must be the water that causes most of the deaths and how much flooding may occur. These
prepared. in hurricanes. About 90% of all hurricane meteorologists use satellite pictures,
fatalities occur from drowning in either Doppler radar and computer models to
What makes a flood happen? Rain, right? storm surge or freshwater flooding. The try to warn people well in advance of the
Yes, but flooding is more than just how Florida record for the most rainfall dur- flooding, so they can save lives and prop-
erty. (See story on hurricanes, Page 5.)
Stay away from downed power lines A foot of water will float many
and never drive into moving water. vehicles.
Drive carefully when water covers Two feet of rushing water can
the road. If you cannot see the road- carry away most vehicles includ-
way beneath the water, do not drive ing sport utility vehicles (SUV’s)
Flooding Safety Actions through it!! The water may be deeper and pick-ups.
Never play in flooded areas where than it appears and the road may Most flood-related deaths occur
hidden sharp objects, electrocution already be washed away. at night and are vehicular.
and pollution are serious hazards. Heed water contamination advisories. Urban and small-stream flash
In highly flood-prone areas, keep Do not use food that has come in floods often occur in less than
materials such as sandbags, contact with floodwaters. one hour.
plywood, plastic sheeting, plastic Tropical cyclones pose significant
garbage bags, lumber and shovels risks well inland due to freshwa-
on hand.
Flooding Facts
Six inches of water will reach the ter flooding.
Be aware of streams, canals and Flood damages are not covered
bottom of most passenger cars causing
areas that are known to flood so under homeowners’ insurance
loss of control and possible stalling.
you or your evacuation routes are policies. Consider purchasing
not cut off. flood insurance.
I
t was a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the 4th of July, 2009, in
Lakeland, Florida. A group of about 100 people were celebrat-
ing the holiday at a local field, playing soccer and volleyball,
when a lightning bolt or series of strikes hit nearby, seemingly
out of nowhere. In less than a few seconds, one of the group mem-
bers was killed and 27 others were injured.
Those at the gathering witnessed just a few clouds in the area just
north of the celebration, but it was not enough to suggest severe
weather. Then all of a sudden, they saw two strikes of lightning
and a flash on the field. Many of the people playing soccer were
knocked off their feet. Meteorologists suggest that the lightning
strike came from a stronger thunderstorm well south of the area
bolt travels through the atmosphere, On average, lightning strikes kill about hear thunder, then you are close enough
it heats the air around it quickly. This 100 Americans each year, more than hur- to be struck by lightning.
rapid heating creates expansion of the air ricanes or tornadoes. In our state, light-
around the lightning bolt at speeds faster ning results in an average of 10 deaths A darkening cloud is often the first sign
than the speed of sound. The speeding and 40 injuries every year. that lightning may strike. As soon as you
air breaks the sound barrier resulting in see lightning or hear thunder, you are at
the explosive sound we know as thunder. Most people who are struck by lightning risk. Go immediately inside a house or
Thunder is really just another form of a are not killed, but they are left badly other enclosed structure to stay safe,
sonic boom. bruised and burned. It is important to and when inside, do not touch metal or
realize that people struck by lightning use corded electrical devices. If lightning
Because lightning travels at the speed of carry no electrical charge and emergen- strikes an object nearby, the electrical
light, it is possible to see lightning far off cy medical services can be immediately current can travel into your safe place
in the distance and never hear the thun- performed safely to help resuscitate the through wiring or cables.
der it produces. Heat lighting is seen person.
from a very far distance, but so far away If you are caught outside when lightning
that thunder is not heard. Lightning Safety is occurring, the most dangerous place to
be is an open area, such as a sports field.
A “Bolt from the Blue” lightning strike Because of our active Florida lifestyles Outdoor water activities such as swim-
is a flash which travels a relatively large and busy schedules, lightning plays a very ming, boating and fishing are also very
distance in clear air away from the par- important role in our daily lives. How dangerous during lightning because you
ent thunderstorm and then strikes the many times each summer have you been are often the tallest, most vulnerable ob-
ground. These lightning flashes have been at the beach or engaging in some outdoor ject in the area closest the storm. When
documented more than 25 miles away activity, and have seen a thunderstorm a substantial building is not available and
from the thunderstorm cloud. These approaching? Many of us assume that the lightning is occurring or imminent, get
events can be especially dangerous as storm is too far away to pose any danger, into a vehicle with a hard-topped roof.
they appear to come from “clear blue and many believe that if the storm is not
sky.” producing rain at their location, then they The best course of action for lightning
are not at risk of being impacted by the safety is to monitor the weather forecast
storm. Many of us “roll the dice” when and sky conditions if you are participating
Lightning Dangers we try to speed-up doing yard work or in an outdoor activity. The safest light-
Lightning has been called “the under- have just a few more things to bring in- ning safety rule is this: If thunder roars,
rated killer” since it usually does not get side from the car. The fact still remains, go indoors.
as much headline attention compared to if you are close enough to the storm to
other dangerous weather phenomena. NWS Jacksonville, Sandrik/Enyedi
Reported Florida
Rip Currents Fatalities
1989-2003
Learn how to swim! help in the direction of the beach n An alternate method of escape
patrol. from a rip current, for those who
n Do not overestimate your are good floaters and swimmers,
n If caught in a rip current, do not
ability to swim in ocean waters is to let the rush of water take
try to swim directly back to
and strong currents. you offshore until it slows, then
shore! Instead, turn and face side-
n If possible, always swim at swim back to the beach at an
ways to the shore and wade or
beaches staffed by lifeguards swim until you are out of the rip angle away from the rip current.
or beach patrols, and heed current. Then move back toward n Do not get caught in a rip current
their advice. shore at an angle away from the while trying to save someone
n If caught in a rip current, try rush of water. else. Throw the person a flota-
to remain calm and signal for tion device and get help from the
beach patrol.
Waterspouts
A waterspout is a tornado that touches
down over water. The Florida Keys is
considered to be the waterspout capital
of the United States. Dr. Joseph Golden
studied waterspouts in Florida for more
than 35 years. He estimated more than
300 waterspouts occurred each year
near the Florida coast. Most of these are
weak, but boaters are urged to move di-
rectly away from a waterspout since they
can easily flip over a vessel. A few wa-
terspouts do manage to move onshore
and cause damage. A waterspout that A waterspout approaches the Fuller Warren Bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville on
touches land is then called a tornado. July 26th, 2009. AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Will Dickey
WATCH vs.
WARNING
Although radar, satellite, and
computer systems continue
to improve, if you do not know
what to do or where to go,
warnings are not effective! Re-
member, severe weather can
develop rapidly and advance
T
hunderstorms occur frequently become strong, a thunderstorm can have warning time may only be a
across Florida. In fact, the strong winds, hail, lightning, heavy rainfall few minutes. Everyone needs
Florida peninsula has the great- and even tornadoes. the knowledge to react quickly
est number of thunderstorms and execute a plan of action
in the United States. Florida’s tropical Hail when severe weather materi-
atmosphere and sea breezes provide the alizes.
perfect recipe for the making of thun- Although hail forms in every thunder-
derstorms. Three ingredients are need- storm, it only reaches the ground if at- A WATCH means that condi-
ed – moisture, an unstable atmosphere mospheric conditions are favorable. Hail tions are favorable for severe
and lift. Thunderstorms are part of life typically has the best chance of falling thunderstorm, tornado, or
in Florida. They are nature’s way of pro- to the ground in winter and springtime flash flood development. This
viding badly needed rainfall. When they thunderstorms when the atmosphere is is the time to be weather-
colder. Hail may take on many different aware. You should keep alert
sizes and shapes, such as a thin flat penny by listening to a radio, televi-
or a baseball. sion, or weather radio for the
latest weather information.
Large hails can be dangerous. Penny- Know where your children are.
sized hail or larger can cause damage to Be aware of where you will go
objects, such as vehicles and buildings, by and what you will do if a severe
breaking windows and damaging roofs. thunderstorm, tornado, or
Large hail can also down trees. Bodily in- flash flood threatens.
juries, or even death, can result in people
are caught outdoors when large hail oc- A WARNING means a severe
curs. thunderstorm, tornado, or
flash flood has been sighted or
indicated by radar. People in
Strong winds the path of the storm should
All thunderstorms can produce gusty take immediate life-savings ac-
winds. Severe thunderstorms produce tions.
even stronger winds, called downbursts,
Sunday June 1, 2008
Jacksonville, FL that can cause significant damage to
Tracking Thunderstorms
Meteorologists use many tools to fore-
cast and keep close watch on thunder-
storms. Weather balloons and weather
es a
What mak Severe?
d e r s t o r m
Thun
f these:
Any one o
es
√ Tornado h
a t o r a b ove 58 mp
√ Wind
r -s iz e h a il (1 inch in
√ Quarte
or larger
diameter)
DANGER
Relative Humidity (%)
EXTREME CAUTION
CAUTION
Fatigue
F
rom January through October turned during the winter months of early Part of the reason for the inactive wild-
of 2009, more than 2,800 wild- 2009, Lake Okeechobee levels were fall- fire season this past year was the devel-
fires across Florida burned over ing, and it looked like Florida was in for a opment of El Niño in the Pacific Ocean
136,000 acres of state and federal rough year. From January through March during the early summer months. El
lands. Though this may seem like a lot of of 2009, over 1,000 wildfires burned Niño conditions occur when abnormally
fires, 2009 was a fairly inactive wildfire nearly 25,000 acres. That’s more than warm water forms across the central and
season compared to recent years. double the 508 fires that burned over eastern Pacific Ocean. These warm wa-
ters create a change in the atmospheric
weather patterns that result in wetter
and cooler than normal conditions across
the Southeastern United States.
In 2003, only 27,000 acres burned in
2,071 fires due to El Niño weather pat-
terns keeping plenty of moisture in the
soils and waterways. With these same
conditions in the forecast, there is the
potential for an inactive fire season in the
early part of 2010.
When the waters in the central Pacific
Ocean are cooler than normal, it is re-
ferred to as La Niña. La Niña conditions
usually bring drier than normal winters
and increase wildfire activity through
the spring. Because of the influence of El
Niño and La Niña, it is possible to an-
ticipate upcoming fire activity of the next
three to six months based on forecasts
Though high pressure near the state kept 11,000 acres during the same time peri- of weather and climate. As more re-
most of the tropical systems away, Tropi- od in 2008. The busiest fire day was May search is done, more accurate forecasts
cal Storm Fay in August of 2008 was able 17th, 2009 when 193 separate wildfires and better planning and preparation can
to affect just about every part of the state were actively burning over 17,000 acres. be made for upcoming wildfire seasons
by slowly weaving its way northward This is co-incident with extreme drought across Florida.
across the Peninsula and then westward that was occurring over much of the pen-
along the Florida Panhandle. insula before the onset of the summer By Amy Godsey, Florida Division of
However, drought conditions quickly re- rainy season brought relief to the area. Emergency Management
Daytona Speedway on May 22, 2009 Port Orange, July 24, 2009
T
he National Weather Service does not issue spe-
cial warnings or statements for lightning because
all thunderstorms contain dangerous lightning. In
2009, 5 people were killed and over 50 people
were injured from lightning strikes in Florida. Four of
these fatalities occurred within 1 month of each other.
In June, a Broward County man was killed while cutting
the grass in his yard. Three days later, a Highlands County
man was killed while standing underneath a tree on a golf
course. In Polk County, a man was killed and 27 others
were injured when lightning struck an open soccer field
where a group was having a 4th of July picnic. A man was
killed by lightning while at the beach in Brevard County
and a man fishing near Soldier Key in Miami-Dade County
was struck on his boat.
Temperature anomalies for Pacific Ocean (Yellow and red indicates above normal sea surface temperatures)