Keeping Eyes on the Skies
By Karen Haave
Aspiring weather spotters got a crash course in meteorology at Lincoln-Way West High School recently, just ahead of a wave of springtime storms carrying deadly tornadoes, high winds and hail.
Presented by National Weather Service Meteorologists Brett Borchardt and Mike Bardou, the Severe Weather Spotter Training program drew an estimated 400 participants to the LWW auditorium, according to Daniel Martin, Safe Community Coordinator for the Village of New Lenox.
The presentation included plenty of technical weather information, explaining floods, tornadoes, thunderstorms, watches and advisories, with emphasis on safety and how to prepare for dangerous weather.
It also listed the weather conditions spotters should consider reporting via [email protected], www.weather.gov/chicago (“Submit Storm Report”) or via Facebook and Twitter @nwsChicago.
“Let’s clear the air. Storms are dangerous,” Borchardt said, adding, “Any tornado is considered severe,” whether it’s EFO or 1 (“weak”), EF2 or 3 (“strong”) or EFO 4 or 5 (“violent”). Moreover, “tornadoes can strike at any time.”
Hail more than an inch in diameter is significant, wind more than 78 mph is severe, and moving water six inches deep or more is flash flooding. These are all conditions worth reporting to the weather service, Borchardt said.
Soggy backyards and water in basement/lower level rooms due to sump pump failures and sewer backups does not count as flooding, he said, and should not be reported.
But storm-related injuries and fatalities should be, as well as damage (trees and power poles snapped, windows broken, walls and roofs collapsed).
The weather service also wants to know about heavy rain, which is defined as “at least 1 inch over a few hours or 2 inches over one day or more.”
Tornadoes and funnel clouds also are on the list to report, but must be rotating.
In his segment of the program, Bardou said weather spotters “are used by the NWS to verify what we see on radar.
“It’s a vital part of the ‘warning’ decision-making process,” he noted, because radar and satellite data have limitations.
Bardou cautioned that storm spotters “should only spot where where you have a good view” of the weather event, and not at night because it’s “difficult to impossible” to safely watch a storm.
Remember to have an escape route, “And always be aware of your surroundings. Spot with a partner, if you can,” he said.
“The National Weather Service does not encourage storm chasing and will never ask as spotter to drive in or enter a storm.
“If you find yourself in a dangerous situation indoors, go to the lowest level of the building and put as many walls as possible between you and the storm.
“If you’re outdoors, find a strong shelter. A bridge does not offer protection from damaging winds or tornadoes.”
Other advice:
- Don’t try to outrun a tornado, especially in urban areas. If you can see the tornado’s direction, drive at a right angle to it. In other words, if it is heading east, drive south.
- Remember that lightning tends to strike the tallest object.
- If you can hear thunder, lightning is close enough to strike, so move indoors.
- If you feel the hair on your head or arms stand up, there is a good chance that lightning is about to strike. Get indoors immediately.
- A closed, hard-top metal vehicle is safe in a thunderstorm.
- Floods and flash floods kill more people nationwide than any other storm hazard. Just 12 inches of water can carry a car away, and more than that can carry a truck away. Never go into flood water, either on foot or in a vehicle.
Those who missed the program can watch it on New Lenox Community TV Channel 6, Dan Martin said.
The presentation was part of the Health & Safety Expo sponsored by the New Lenox Safe Community Coalition and the Village of New Lenox, and included literature and giveaways from 50 organizations in the health, safety, fitness, preparedness, and emergency response sectors.
The all-ages, no-charge event also featured a Touch-A-Truck display and a free food distribution.
Overall, Martin said, some 750 people “ came out and attended one, two or all three activities.” He said organizers were “very happy” with the turnout.
“Special thanks to the National Weather Service, Lincoln-Way Community High School District #210, all the participating organizations for the Health & Safety Expo and Touch-a-Truck, ShareFest for the food giveaway, Mayor Tim Baldermann, who gave the (welcome and opening remarks, and all the volunteers that helped to make this a successful event,” he added.
Karen Haave is a freelance reporter.
More than 400 people, young and old — including Nathan, 8, and Nolan, 4, Utter of New Lenox — attended the Weather Spotter Training at Lincoln-Way West. There were activities such as Touch A Truck, and give-aways available, in addition to the program by the National Weather Service.
(Photo by Karen Haave)