Our team of meteorologists in the Doppler 10 Forecast Center has a specific plan designed to keep you updated about the weather in Central Texas. Before storms even threaten, our team is in place studying the latest forecast information. When the storms approach, we are constantly updating KWTX.COM, along with our FACEBOOK & TWITTER accounts with any severe watches or warnings. Those same watches and warnings are instantly displayed on KWTX News 10 and CW Texas with additional details crawling across the bottom of your TV screen. Doppler 10 Radar is always available on kwtx.com for around the clock monitoring of the storms. News 10 Desktop Alert may be downloaded also, so severe weather information is always available on your computer screen. And when you re on the go, get breaking weather information right on your cell phone. Just text WEATHER to 25430. Stay ahead of the storm with News 10 On Your Side. 1
WHAT IS DOPPLER? Although Christian Johann Doppler came up with the Doppler principle, he died in 1853, before Doppler Radar was invented. The Doppler principle puts sound waves to use. He developed the idea that the frequency of sound waves coming from a moving object will change, depending on whether the object is moving toward or away from you. All weather radars send out radio waves from an antenna. Objects in the air, such as rain drops, snow crystals, hail stones or even insects and dust, scatter or reflect some of the radio waves back to the antenna. All weather radars electronically convert the reflected radio waves into pictures showing the location and intensity of precipitation. The radar uses the reflected pulses received at the radar site to create its images. Scientists, meteorologists and forecasters have learned how to use the pictures of wind motions in storms, or even in clear air, to more clearly understand what is happening now and what is likely to happen in the next hour or two. Doppler Radar, including our Doppler 10 LIVE, can detect wind speed and direction even when no precipitation is falling. Different colors on the radar display represent different precipitation intensities. Usually, red means heavy precipitation, yellow moderate, and green light. Doppler Radar can also be used to obtain various wind profiles and rainfall estimates. 2 2
WHAT IS A TORNADO? A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air, attached to the base of a thunderstorm and in contact with the ground. It can be one of the most destructive of all weather systems and occurs on many of the world's continents, but most common in the United States and Australia. In Texas, tornadoes occur most often in the spring and during the afternoon and evening hours. Tornadoes vary in size (sometimes they can be almost a mile wide), and usually travel along the ground at 35 miles per hour for less than 15 miles. Tornadoes are very dangerous, so it s important to know what to do in times of a tornado emergency. Being ready will definitely limit your chances of being caught in Mother Nature s scariest phenomena. Anatomy of a Tornado 1. Warm air rises through the storm system and hits cooler air of the jet stream. 2. Warm air twists. As the speed increases, more warm air is drawn up through the low pressure area in the vortex. 3. As the vortex gets stronger, the funnel begins to drop. 3
Tornado Watches & Warnings The National Weather Service (NWS) tracks the severe storms throughout the United States and issues TORNADO WATCHES and WARNINGS in the event of dangerous weather. When severe weather threatens your area, tune quickly to News 10 or NOAA Weather Radio for information on WATCHES and WARNINGS. WATCH This indicates the possibility of severe thunderstorms with tornadoes. Continue your normal activities, but be aware of developing storms. WARNING TORNADO SAFETY RULES This means that a tornado has been either sighted or detected by radar and could be approaching your area. Take the necessary tornado precautions and seek shelter immediately. IN YOUR HOME - A basement or underground storm shelter is the safest place in your home, but if yours doesn't have either, take cover in a BATHROOM, CLOSET or HALLWAY on the lowest floor. Grab blankets, bedspreads and pillows to cover yourself and your family. This will protect against flying glass and objects which may be airborne in the winds of the storm. IN MOBILE HOMES - Mobile homes and trailers are particularly vulnerable in strong winds. They should be evacuated when strong winds and tornadoes are in the area. Mobile home communities and trailer parks should have a community storm shelter where you can take cover. If there is no shelter nearby, leave your home and take cover in a ditch or low spot on the ground. IN YOUR CAR - Don t attempt to out-run a tornado. Leave your car immediately and get into the nearest ditch until the tornado passes. Remember to cover your head with your hands to prevent injury. Never seek shelter beneath overpasses. IN SCHOOLS OR OFFICE BUILDINGS - Move to a predesignated shelter area. Interior hallways on the lowest floors are best. Stay out of auditoriums, gyms, and other structures with long, wide, free-span roofs. 4
TORNADO BASICS Formation: A tornado is composed of violently rotating columns of air that descend in the familiar funnel shape from thunderstorm cloud systems and come in contact with the ground. Duration: Tornadoes are relatively short-lived storms, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to more than an hour. Families of tornadoes can last several hours. Movement: Tornadoes tend to move from the southwest to the northeast at an average speed of 35 mph. They can, however, remain nearly stationary or move at speeds as high as 70 mph, with wind speeds approaching 300 mph within the tornado s center. Path: The destructive path of a tornado averages about 250 yards in width and 15 miles in length. In extreme conditions, a tornado may travel more than 300 miles and leave a path of total destruction more than a mile wide. Size: The largest tornadoes may exceed a mile or more in width, with wind speeds approaching 300 mph. Texas Tornadoes An average of 132 tornadoes touch Texas soil each year. Tornadoes may occur in any month and at any hour of the day, but they occur with greatest frequency during April, May and June, and between the hours of 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. The greatest number of tornadoes in Texas in a single year was in 1967 when 232 twisters were reported! More tornadoes have been recorded in Texas than in any other state, which is partly due to the state's size. 5
RATING TORNADOES Theodore Fujita is best known as the inventor of the tornado damage scale that carries his name. Surveys of storm damage led Fujita to devise his tornado rating system in the late 1960 s. All tornadoes are assigned a single number from this scale according to the most intense wind damage caused by the storm. Enhanced Fujita Tornado Scale Rating Intensity Wind Speed Type Of Damage EF0 Gale Tornado (Weak) 65-85 MPH Light damage. Some damaged sign boards, broken branches; shallow-rooted trees pushed over EF1 Moderate Tornado (Strong) 86-110 MPH Moderate damage. Surfaces peeled off roofs; mobile homes over turned; moving autos pushed off the roads. EF2 Significant Tornado (Stronger) 111-135 MPH Considerable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; large trees snapped or uprooted. EF3 Severe Tornado (Very Strong) 136-165 MPH Severe damage. Roofs and walls torn off well constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off ground and thrown. EF4 Devastating Tornado (Violent) 166-200 MPH Devastating damage. Wellconstructed houses leveled; cars thrown; large missiles generated. EF5 Catastrophic Tornado Over 200 MPH Catastrophic damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air; steel reinforced concrete structures badly damaged. 6
THUNDERSTORM At any given moment, nearly 2,000 thunderstorms are in progress over the earth, mostly in tropical regions. Thunderstorms affect relatively small areas when compared with hurricanes and winter storms. The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes. Heavy rain from thunderstorms can lead to flash flooding. Strong winds, hail, and tornadoes are also dangers associated with some thunderstorms. Every thunderstorm produces lightning. Thunder is the result of a lightning strike and cannot hurt you. Thunder is created when lightning heats up the air around it and causes the air to expand rapidly. Brontophobia is the fear of thunder. Flash to Bang You can estimate the distance to a thunderstorm using the Flash to Bang method: After you see a flash of lightning, start counting the seconds until you hear the bang of thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five. Each five seconds equals one mile. If you count 15 seconds, the flash was three miles away, which means that you are in a high-danger zone. 7 7
Thunderstorm Safety Rules Stay inside a building. Stay away from windows. Do not use household electrical appliances or the corded telephone. Stay away from metal doors. Do not bathe or shower. Stay off the computer. What is a Severe Thunderstorm? Approximately 10% of the estimated 100,000 thunderstorms that occur each year in the United States, are classified as severe. The National Weather Service considers a thunderstorm severe if it produces: 1. Hail stones 1 inch in diameter or larger 2. Damaging winds of 58 mph or greater 3. Tornadoes For further safety, if surge protectors are not used, unplug all household appliances. Severe Thunderstorm WATCH When conditions are favorable in certain areas, the National Weather Service will issue a Severe Thunderstorm WATCH. These areas will be listed on KWTX NEWS 10. A WATCH encourages the public to stay alert for changing weather conditions and possible warnings. Severe Thunderstorm WARNING When a severe thunderstorm is occurring in an area, the National Weather Service will issue a Severe Thunderstorm WARNING. When a WARNING is issued, KWTX NEWS 10 will give you detailed information about the storm - dropping temperatures, rainfall totals and gusty wind speeds. 8 8
LIGHTNING Lightning is a visible electrical discharge produced by thunderstorms. Lightning causes more deaths than tornadoes, killing nearly 100 people every year in the United States and injuring hundreds of others. A big lightning bolt might seem to be hundreds of feet across when it hits the ground, but in actuality the current channel is generally not much thicker than a pencil. Lightning tends to travel the path of least resistance and often seeks out tall or metal objects. Be forewarned, lightning can and does strike any object in its path. Your chances of being struck by lightning in the United States are 1 in 700,000. The number of lightning strikes per day is over 8 million. The average lightning flash would light a 100 watt bulb for 3 months. Keraunophobia is the fear of lightning. A Lightning Tale While playing at the Fox Meadows Golf Course in Memphis, a golfer was struck by a bolt of lightning. The lightning went through his neck. Down his spine. Came out of a pocket containing his keys. Went into a nearby tree. Miraculously, he survived! 9 9
Outdoor Lightning Safety Rules Go quickly inside a completely enclosed building, not a carport, open garage, or covered patio. If no enclosed building is convenient, get in a hard topped all-metal vehicle. Never use a tree as shelter. Avoid areas that are higher than the surrounding landscape. Keep away from metal objects (e.g., bikes, golf carts, fishing rods, boats). If caught in a boat, crouch down in the center of the boat away from the metal hardware. Avoid standing near tall objects. Immediately get out and away from pools, lakes and other bodies of water. Spread out - do not stand in a crowd of people. Do not hold hands with others. Space yourself several yards away from others. If you feel a tingling sensation or your hair stands on end, lightning may be about to strike! Immediately crouch down and cover your ears. Do not lie down or place your hands on the ground. Victims of lightning shock should be administered CPR, if necessary, and medical attention should be sought immediately. 10 10
HURRICANES Hurricanes are giant weather engines composed of swirling thunderstorms. They form over warm, tropical waters where winds are light and humidity is high. Those which strike the Texas Gulf Coast are typically born in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico and occur most often during the months of August and September. The 6 month period from June to November is considered the Atlantic Hurricane Season. Hurricanes begin as weak tropical disturbances. A TROPICAL DISTURBANCE is defined as an organized cluster of thunderstorms that has a slight cyclonic wind circulation of less than 23mph. As these disturbances become more organized and intense, they are classified as TROPICAL DEPRESSIONS. A TROPICAL DEPRESSION is defined as an organized cluster of thunderstorms with wind circulation between 23 and 38mph. When winds increase to 39mph, they are classified as a TROPICAL STORM and given a name. When wind speeds reach 74mph or greater, the TROPICAL STORM becomes a HURRICANE. 11
NAMING A HURRICANE In times of old, hurricanes were NOT given names as they moved across tropical waters. But, in the year 1950, forecasters had to track three storms at once and the confusion from that episode led to the naming of storms. Up until 1978, only WOMEN'S names were used for Tropical Storms and Hurricanes. Beginning in 1979, both MEN'S & WOMEN'S names with English, Spanish and French origins were used. A storm is named when it reaches Tropical Storm strength. The list of names is approved by the World Meteorologist Organization and is rotated every 6 years. The letters Q, U, X, and Z are not used because there are simply not enough names with those letters to meet the 6-year requirement. 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Arthur Bertha Cristobal Dolly Edouard Fay Gonzalo Hanna Isaias Josephine Kyle Laura Marco Nana Omar Paulette Rene Sally Teddy Vicky Wilfred Ana Bill Claudette Danny Erika Fred Grace Henri Ida Joaquin Kate Larry Mindy Nicholas Odette Peter Rose Sam Teresa Victor Wanda Alex Bonnie Colin Danielle Earl Fiona Gaston Hermine Ian Julia Karl Lisa Matthew Nicole Otto Paula Richard Shary Tobias Virginie Walter Arlene Bret Cindy Don Emily Franklin Gert Harvey Irma Jose Katia Lee Maria Nate Ophelia Philippe Rina Sean Tammy Vince Whitney Alberto Beryl Chris Debby Ernesto Florence Gordon Helene Isaac Joyce Kirk Leslie Michael Nadine Oscar Patty Rafael Sara Tony Valerie William 12
County Coverage Map WACO KILLEEN TEMPLE Here in Central Texas, the most devastating twister outbreak occurred in Waco on May 11, 1953. By the time the storm had passed the Waco area, 114 people had been killed and 597 injured. Damage to the downtown Waco area was estimated at $41.1 million. Over 1,735 buildings were destroyed or damaged the largest building casualty toll from a Texas tornado before or since. While most tornadoes occur in the spring (as the warm air from the south makes contact with the cooler air from the north), remember that they can happen at any time of the year. 13
VORTEX STORM CHASERS During severe weather events, The Doppler 10 Forecast Center utilizes our exclusive storm chase team known as Vortex Chasers. Pictured left to right are Russell Mezynski, Melissa and Adam Cuker. This trio has a combined total of nearly twenty years of storm chasing experience, including severe weather training dating back to 1998. In order to witness and capture the relatively short window of opportunities each year for severe thunderstorms, our chase team devotes many hours of preparation, working hand-in-hand with The Doppler 10 Forecast Center, to determine where the threat may occur. Once mobile, Vortex Chasers provides constant communication back to News 10 and regional National Weather Service offices. This includes a combination of real-time video, photographs and on-air reporting. The goal of the chase team is to provide information accurately and quickly, in order to help protect lives and property. Storm chasing can certainly be exciting, and provide a thrilling experience, however it comes with a real risk of danger to the untrained. Persons without proper training or prior experience should NEVER attempt to intercept a threatening storm. To further your knowledge of severe weather, each January through March, The National Weather Service conducts free county-bycounty spotter training sessions known as SKYWARN. For an annual listing of dates, times and locations, visit kwtx.com/weather. 14
Weather Experiments! Make sure there s an adult around when you do any of these experiments just in case you need any help! Thunder in a Soda Can You ll need: a full, unopened can of your favorite soda. Before you open the can, the air inside is held under pressure. When you open the can, you release the pressure and the air expands. It s the expanding that makes the sound. It s just the same way with thunder. As the lightning heats up the air, the air expands, and you hear thunder. Sharp claps of thunder mean lightning is close by. Low, rumbling thunder means it s farther away. You can tell how far away a lightning bolt is by counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder then dividing by five. If you see a flash and hear thunder at the same time, the lightning is right above you. Sun Separator You ll need: A pocket mirror, a white piece of paper, a shallow pan of water, sunshine. 1. Put the pan of water in a sunlit place opposite the white piece of paper. 2. Hold the mirror at one end of the pan so that the sunlight strikes it. 3.Move the mirror until you see the colors of the rainbow on the paper. The colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet) are all contained within the sunlight (which can be called white light ), but they are usually smashed together so that you can t see them. When white light passes through a drop of water, the light rays are bent (or refracted) so that you can see each color separately. 15
Weather Experiments! Make sure there s an adult around when you do any of these experiments just in case you need any help! Making Frost in Texas! You ll need: ice cubes, a plastic bag, a hammer, an empty tin can, salt. 1. Put the ice cubes in the plastic bag and tie the end shut. Break the ice cubes into small chips with the hammer. 2. Put a thick layer of ice in the tin can about 1 inch thick, then a thin layer of salt, another layer of ice and so on until the can is full. 3. Watch what forms. If it s a dry day, with very little humidity in the air, you may have to breathe on the outside of the can to produce some frost. When the moist air hits the cold surface of the can, the water in it freezes ands sticks to the can. The result is frost in Texas! Lightning in Your Mouth You ll need: wintergreen flavored Life-Savers (candies), a mirror 1. Go into a dark room and wait for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. 2. Chew on a couple of wintergreen Life-Savers with your mouth open (even though it s rude) and watch what happens in a mirror. Crushing the Life-Savers with your teeth pulls apart the sugar crystals and creates mini bits of candy that have different electrical charges. As electricity sparks leap between the differently charged particles, the wintergreen oil helps you see it! 16
Top Three Recommended Places to Take Cover Draw a line to put places in order of importance CLOSET 1 2 HALLWAY 3 BATHROOM 17
Notes Answers to Page 17: (1) Bathroom, (2) Closet, (3) Hallway 18
The Weather Authority Contact Rusty www.facebook.com/rustygarrettkwtx @RustyGarrettWX rusty.garrett@kwtx.com