Weather Blog: Severe Weather Preparedness, “Thunderstorm Safety”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Day two of Georgia’s Severe Weather Preparedness Week focuses on thunderstorm safety. While thunderstorms can happen any time of the year in the CSRA - it is most common for storms to occur in the spring and summer.

For a thunderstorm to be classified as severe, it has to meet one of the following criteria:

hail at least one inch in diameter
wind gusts higher than 58 mph
or the possibility of a tornado within the storm.

Once one or more of these criteria is met - the National Weather Service will issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning to alert the public.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning means immediate action needs to be taken. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is issued hours in advance for a wide area to let the public know there is the potential for severe thunderstorms.

Severe storms form using a combination of four main ingredients: moisture, lift, instability, and shear. The combination of these ingredients determines how strong storms will be and what type of severe weather will be possible. The main hazards a severe thunderstorm produces are damaging wind, hail, and tornadoes.

TUESDAY - Here are some easy to Thunderstorm Safety tips:

Seek shelter indoors when a thunderstorm approaches
Have multiple ways to get watches and warnings (WRDW Weather App)
Wait 30 minutes before returning outdoors after thunder roars
Avoid bodies of water and trees
If you are driving safely pull over until the storm es or dive to a sturdy structure if possible

Severe thunderstorms typically through a location in less than an hour. A couple of rules of thumb when it comes to severe thunderstorms are, when thunder roars go indoors and if you can hear thunder you are close enough to the storm to be struck by lightning.