NEW ORLEANS — It’s that time of year again.
Severe Weather Awareness weak is taking place across Louisiana and Mississippi. The second half of 2017 resulted in very little severe weather across the area, so it’s important to take this week to review what severe weather means and how to prepare for it.
Monday’s topic involves what we mean by severe weather. A lot of times on tv or in other outlets we say severe weather is possible, but you may not know what that means.
Severe weather is a storm that possesses any of the criteria listed in the image above. Hail bigger than quarter size, wind gusts over 58 mph or wind damage, a tornado or radar-indicated tornado, or flash flooding.
Most of the time a warning is issued based on radar analysis of the storm. For this reason the result of the storm does not always match or exceed these criteria.
However, it’s important to remember never to take chances. If a warning is issued for your area you need to seek shelter until the storm has passed.
During days when severe weather is forecast, remember to have a way to receive warnings should they be issued for your area.