*SEVERE WEATHER SHIFTS TO THE PLAINS STATES: BY WEATHER ADVANCE MODEL FORCASTER: ADRIAN OSHON HOWARD*
AFTER A ROUGH DAY OF TORNADOES IN N.C., AS THE WEATHER ADVANCE STORM TEAM BROUGHT YOU LIVE COVERAGE OF THE TORNADO OUTBREAK IN N.C., SEVERE WEATHER IS NOW SHIFTING TO THE PLAINS STATES ON YOUR FRIDAY, APRIL, 2, 2010. AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF NEW MEXICO AND MOVES EAST,NORTH, EAST, THE AIR OUT AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM WILL BE INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE. FROM CURRENT COMPUTER MODEL OBSERVATIONS, IT APPEARS THAT AN OUTBREAK OF SUPER CELL, SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS HIGHLY LIKELY IN AREAS OF NORTHERN AND NORTHEAST TEXAS AS WELL AS IN OKLAHOMA, AND ARKANSAS. AS STRONG JET STREAM WINDS OVERTOP THE RED SHADING AREAS, CHANGING WIND SPEEDS WITH HEIGHT IS LIKELY, AS THE CAROLINAS GOT IN ON THE ACTION ON MARCH 28TH, 2010. AS CHANGING WIND SPEEDS WITH HEIGHT OCCUR, SUPER CELL, SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP AND THEN ROTATE, EVENTUALLY PRODUCING TORNADOES AT THEIR BASES, AS THE WARM MOIST PARCELS OF AIR RISE LIKE BUBBLES AND SUPERCELL, SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP. PEOPLE IN THESE AREAS OF TEXAS, OLAHOMA AND ARKASAS SHOULD BE ON HIGH ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE SUPER CELLS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS, DOWNBURSTS, MICROBURSTS, VERY LARGE HAIL, AND TORNADOES. IF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD STRIKE YOUR AREA, TAKE THE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. IF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA, STAY AWAY FROM DOORS AND WINDOWS AS THEY OFFER NO PROTECTION FROM FLYING DEBRIS. IF LARGE HAIL IS OBSERVED FROM SUPER CELL THUNDERSTORMS, STAY SAFE AND FROM OUT DOORS AS HAIL CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES. LIGHTNING IS ALSO DANGEROUS STAY AWAY FROM LIGHTNING AND GO INDOORS SHOULD SEVERE WEATHER STRIKE. IF A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA, ACT IMMEDIATELY, DO NOT WAIT FOR THE TORNADO TO STRIKE TO SEEK SHELTER AS THE TORNADO MAY ALREADY IN SOME CASES BE UPON YOU WHEN TORNADO WARNINGS ARE ISSUED BY LOCAL NEWS CAST, NOAA WEATHER RADIO, OR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS. IF A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA, AND YOU ARE OUTSIDE GET OUT OF VEHICLES AS THEY MAY BE ABSORBED UPWARD BY THE POWERFUL DAMAGING UPDRAFTS OF A TORNADO AND LOSS OF LIFE WOULD BE LIKELY. WHEN OUT OF A VEHICLE GO TO THE NEAREST DITCH AND CROUCH DOWN WITH YOUR HANDS OVER YOUR HEAD TO PROTECT YOUR HEAD FROM FLYING DEBRIS AS THE TORNADO PASSES OVER TOP OF YOU. STANDING IN THIS POSITION WILL HOPEFULLY SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE THE POWERFUL UPDRAFT WINDS EXERTED BY THE TORNADO TO LIFT YOU INTO THE AIR. PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION AND DO NO ATEMPT TO GO UNDER A BRIDGE OR OVERPASS AS THEY MAGNIFY THE FORCE OF TORNADIC WIND SPEEDS, ACCELERATING THE WIND SPEEDS AND DEBRIS, AND COULD POSSIBLY BLOW INDIVIDUALS IN IT’S PATH AWAY AND UP AND OUT OF THE BRIDGE. IF IN A HOME OR BUSINESS, SEEK SHELTER IN THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THESE STRUCTURES AND IF THERE IS NO SHELTER GO IN AN INTERIOR ROOM OR CLOSET TO HOPEFULLY DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF FORCEFUL, POWERFUL UPDRAFT WINDS OF A TORNADO TO ABSORB YOU AND EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE TORNADOES’ PATHWAY.
*REMEMBER A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES TO DEVELOPE. REMEMBER A TORNADO WARNING MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURING, EITHER BEING DETECTED BY DOPPLAR RADAR OR BY SKYWARN SPOTTERS. SKYWARN SPOTTERS IN CONJUNCTION WITH STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS ARE REQUESTED TO FORWARD ANY REPORTS OR LARGE HAIL, DAMAGING WINDS, OR TORNADOES TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THESE AREAS. STAY TUNED TO THE WEATHER ADVANCED STORM TEAM FOR FURTHER UPDATES ON THIS DANGEROUS SITUATION.*
