When severe weather is headed your way, it’s time to make sure your cell phone is charged and that you have multiple ways to get weather alerts! Stay weather aware and monitor local news stations for updates. Discuss your emergency plan with your family and where you will meet if separated. Please bring your pets inside and include them in your emergency planning. Check out these weather safety tips to help your family be prepared for severe weather.
Wind Safety
Secure loose outdoor objects and furniture if you have not already done so. Putting away chairs and lawn decorations will prevent them from flying away (or into your home) in a wind gust. Use extra caution if traveling, as high winds can make driving dangerous. High-profile vehicles like trucks and SUVs should be extremely cautious as they are more likely to tip over. Check out more information on driving in high winds and high wind safety.
Hail Safety
Prepare your home before hail arrives by bringing pets indoors. If possible, move vehicles into a garage or another covered area. If shelter isn’t available, you can cover vehicles with a tarp or blankets to help reduce the risk of hailstorm damage. Move outdoor items, like furniture, potted plants, garden gnomes, etc., inside or under a covered area. Close blinds, curtains, or other window coverings inside your home to help protect against any broken glass.
When it’s hailing outside, move indoors immediately! If possible, stay away from windows and move to a safe location, like a basement. If you’re driving, stay in your vehicle, slow down, and pull over when it is safe. Once safely pulled over, turn away from windows and cover yourself with a jacket or blanket to help protect yourself from potential broken glass. Make sure to close your car’s inside cloth-covered sunroof panel, if you have one. Check out more information on Hail Safety.
Tornado Safety
Do you know the difference between a tornado watch vs. a tornado warning?
- Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Stay tuned in and be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued.
- Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Take shelter immediately.
Before a Tornado
- Get a weather radio. It’s the weather equivalent of a smoke detector: inexpensive protection and early warning.
- Discuss your family’s tornado plan.
- Where in the house will you meet?
- Equip your safe room/place with water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, a battery-powered radio (and spare batteries), flashlights, and spare clothing and shoes.
During a Tornado
- Recognize the Signs of a Tornado:
- Dark, often greenish clouds
- Wall cloud (an isolated lowering of the base of a thunderstorm)
- Cloud of debris
- Large hail
- Funnel cloud (a visible rotating extension of the cloud base)
- Roaring noise “like a freight train”
- Weather radios or sirens sound an alert
- Take Shelter:
- At home or work: Immediately go to your safe room (remember: center of the building, lowest level). Stay as far as you can from windows and exterior walls.
- On the road or outside: Exit the highway as soon as possible and take shelter in a sturdy building. If there’s no time to exit the highway, stop, get out of your car, and lie flat down in a ditch or low-lying area with your hands covering your head. If no low-lying area is available, cover your head as low as you can on the ground.
Driving in the Rain
Limit travel if possible during severe weather. If you must be on the road, use extreme caution. Never drive through flooded roadways. There is no way of knowing how deep the water is or the conditions of the road. It could be damaged or even washed away completely. Be especially careful at night, as flooded areas may become impossible to see. Remember, turn around, don’t drown!
Check out more tips on driving in the rain to help you stay safe.
Stay Weather Aware
It is extremely important to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts during severe storms. This is especially important when the weather is forecast to arrive at night. The goal is to have different alerts to wake you in case of severe threats. So, make sure your weather radio has fresh batteries and is placed where you can hear any alerts in your home. Keep your cell phones charged, and turn the volume up LOUD so any alerts or notifications wake you up.
Monitoring the weather will also help you and your family prepare for storms. The list below has several options for staying weather aware and signing up for weather alerts.
- NOAA Weather Radio
- National Weather Service in Louisville
- Local news and weather apps on your phone.
- Sign up for LexAlerts for free weather notifications from Lexington Emergency Management.
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